Lanna-Japan Festival brings out the characters

Cosplayers added a colorful and unique dimension to the festival held at 3 Kings Monument on January 29, 2012.

By Shana Kongmun

The Lanna Japan Festival featured Bon Odori dancing along with cosplay characters, Lanna performances and a Lanna Ramwong dance that combined Japanese and Thai dances.

The Bon Odori Festival was held at 3 Kings Monument on Sunday, January 29 at 6 p.m. and was opened by Deputy Governor Worakarn Yokying, Japanese Consul General Kazuo Shibata, and Chiang Mai Mayor Tussanai Buranupakorn.

Featuring singers performing Japanese songs, Lanna performances, Japanese dances and a whole cast of cosplay characters, the evening turned 3 Kings Monument into a colorful, energetic display. Thai and Japanese food was on offer, with the sushi table seeing long queues of people lining up for their favorites. The evening saw Japanese Consul General join dancers on stage to perform the Ramwong as well as Bon Odori or the Odori Dance, a Summer Festival dance meant to welcome and respect the souls of their ancestors with happy, welcoming music designed to make the ancestors’ souls feel at home and at ease.

Cosplay characters, short for costume play, wandered around the area in their unique outfits from manga characters to cartoon characters from TV. Cosplay is a kind of performance art where the performers wear costumes representing a specific character or idea, usually taken from popular Japanese culture. Characters are often taken from such sources as manga, anime, comic books, classical novels and computer games but more and more, characters are being drawn from American cartoons and science fiction. Role reversal is common with players and players will often interact with each other to create a subculture around the concept of the play.

Deputy Governor Worakarn Yokying (far right) joins hands in friendship with Japan Consul General Kazuo Shibata (2nd right), Chiang Mai Mayor Tussanai Buranupakorn (2nd left) and Festival organizer Kasuyoshi Suzuki.

Dressed as cartoon and comic characters, the elaborate costumes entertained the crowd.

Traditional Japanese summer kimonos or ‘Yukata’ were also abundant as many visitors and Japanese residents dressed for the occasion.

Traditional performers also took to the stage, with many traditional Lanna and Japanese musical and dance performances. (Photo courtesy of Chiang Mai Municipality)

Japanese Consul General Kazuo Shibata took to the stage to perform the Ramwong-Odori that makes this festival so famous. . (Photo courtesy of Chiang Mai Municipality)
 

Water and dam experts at water resources seminar in Chiang Mai

The seminar also features an exhibition from suppliers, technicians and many others involved in water resources management, hydropower and storage.

An international conference and exhibition for water experts titled Asia 2012: Water resources and Renewable Energy Development in Asia will be held at the Shangri La Hotel on March 26 and 27. Co-sponsored by the Royal Irrigation Department, the Electrical Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), the Department of Water Resources and UNESCO, the conference has been organized by the International Journal on Hydropower & Dams.

Given the recent floods and droughts to affect Thailand, a major focus will be on water management including flood mitigation. Pumped storage, already used in small communities in Europe, will be another focus as rural electrification and small scale storage such as pump storage.

Pumped storage is a technique widely used in small communities in Europe which sees water pumped up to a small reservoir during the night and then flow back down through electrical generating turbines during the day. Providing a clean and renewable energy resource without major interruptions to streams and rivers.

Asia has the biggest growth in water management with large dams built in China, and more planned for the Mekong in Laos. Construction in Asia is forecast to see 80% growth. Organizers believe that it is possible to offer dams as an energy and water source without having a huge impact on the environment and this seminar will bring in experts and academics from around the world to speak.

The Director General of the Department of Water Resources, Mr Jatuporn Buruspat, and Mr Hongpeng Liu, Chief of Energy Security at UNESCAP, will speak at the plenary opening, along with other leading experts including Mr Jun Xia, President of the International Water Resources Association, Dr Asit K. Biswas, Director of the Third World Centre for Water Management and 2006 winner of the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize, and Mr Avinash C. Tyagi, Secretary-General of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage.

Speakers will represent the major water and energy utilities of the Asia and Pacific regions, as well as financiers (World Bank, ADB, Agence Française de Developpement), environmental specialists, professional associations (ICOLD, IEA, the Mekong River Commission) and international experts on all aspects of dams and renewable energy. Delegations from about 50 countries attend these Asian events, to discuss all aspects of water resources development of particular relevance to the Asian region.

Post-conference technical tours will give the opportunity to visit the Mae Ngat dam, a multipurpose small hydro scheme or the Theun Hinboun and Nam Theun 2 projects in Laos.

While the conference is open only to paying attendees, the seminar will be bringing a technical and academic focus to the water resources management in Thailand to those in authority.