RHIANNA MCKENZIE
The reviews are in, and the inaugural Japan Caribbean Carnival is being hailed by many attendees as a memorable, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
From September 13-17, participants were treated to tours and parties, and on September 18, the annual Soca in Japan events ended in a Trinidad and Tobago-style parade of the bands at the Moraba Twin Circuit race track in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
While soca events, including parties, boat rides and J’Ouvert have been happening for a few years in Japan, this year marked the first time participants were able to follow a big music truck and revel on the road as they would in the islands.
Many people in Japan are quite familiar with soca music which has been popular there for years, prompting the rise of several Japanese-led steelbands, Japanese soca DJs, dancers and dance classes, and Caribbean parties in major cities like Tokyo and Kobe.
[caption id="attachment_1036410" align="alignnone" width="768"] Princes Town's Yoshoda Seelochan waves her Trinidad and Tobago flag during the Japan Caribbean Carnival in Chiba Prefecture. -[/caption]
Over the weekend, in an unrelated event, there was also a pan festival in Kobe Prefecture where Trinis and Japanese locals were serenaded by the Fantastics Sukiyaki Steel Orchestra at the Kobe Steelpan Carnival.
But organising a parade of the bands-style event has been a dream of Soca in Japan organiser Kegon Toussaint and his team for a few years. Toussaint thanked his team, comprised of Trinbagonian expats and Japanese locals, for their dedication in executing this vision.
“Thank you to everyone who came out this weekend. It was truly unbelievable and a lot of hard work by the team. Our culture is powerful. Next year can only get bigger and better.”
What started as a weekend of soca events in Tokyo, has evolved into a week-long excursion experience attracting soca and Carnival lovers from all over the world. Participants in the Soca in Japan weekend were able to experience a unique cross culture of Japan and the Caribbean, attending soca parties dressed as their favourite anime characters, visiting shrines and temples in the Tokyo area, viewing a traditional Sumo wrestling match and getting down and dirtying themselves at a J’Ouvert party.
[caption id="attachment_1036409" align="alignnone" width="768"] Visiting from Miami, sisters Delia and Daniela Scantlebury. - Rhianna McKenzie[/caption]
Soca artistes Nailah Blackman, Mical Teja and Jadel were all in attendance, much to the delight of those present. The experience reached its climax with the parade on September 18, a national holiday in Japan known as Respect for the Aged Day. The weekend lineup of events were all sold out.
Najja Forbes, originally from south Trinidad and now living in Yokohama City, Tokyo prefecture, attended three of the weekend’s events, including the parade, and the Rum ’N' Bass party held in Shibuya City, Tokyo.
“The crowd was energetic and joyful,” she told Newsday.
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