The Star Online: Metro: Central
The Star Online: Metro: Central |
| The 35th Bon Odori Festival in Shah Alam held to honour locals Posted: 25 Jul 2011 08:47 PM PDT TSUNAMI-stricken Japan is still rebuilding its country and thousands had lost a place to stay after the March tragedy. Just like many of its citizens, Shigemi Naito felt the pain and was at a loss when it came to organising this year's Bon Odori Dance Festival. "About a month after the incident we were still unsure if we should proceed with the Bon Odori this year, "We kept asking ourselves what should we do as the tragedy had affected a lot of Japanese people," said Naito who is the event organising chairman. In April, the team finally decided the event should proceed but with a positive message in mind. "We were very touched by how Malaysians had responded when our country was struck by the earthquake. "People came to us with kind words and assisted us with donations," he said. His team together with the Japan Club of Kuala Lumpur have dedicated the 35th Bon Odori Dance Festival to Malaysians to mark their gratitude to all who have contributed in various ways to Japan. The theme "Arigatou Malaysia" (thank you Malaysia) was apt. The event was also the first for newly appointed Ambassador of Japan Shigeru Nakamura. "We have the same event in Japan but the number of people here is definitely more than what I expected," he said. Nakamura said he could see that Malaysians, especially the young, enjoyed the event and was pleased with the 35,000-odd turnout at the National Sports Complex in Shah Alam. In Japan, this popular summer event is held to welcome the ancestral spirits who journey from heaven to visit the earthly realm. However, in Malaysia, Bon Odori is mainly held to expose locals to Japanese culture as well as to experience the variety of delicacies, art and dance. The highlight of the event was the gathering around the yagura, a special platform set up in the centre of the stadium where visitors danced together following a group of dancers on the platform with their plastic hand fans. Those dancing on the yagura were dressed in the traditional attire of yukata — a summer kimono — with matching zori (a pair of wooden sandals). Besides the dances, many came for the authentic Japanese cuisine available at the stadium. "The food and the dance is something I look forward to each year," said Kek May Yee who shared that it was her fifth year attending the event. Together with her friends Tan May Yong and Renee Chung, the trio who came dressed in yukata were seen seated on a mat enjoying their Japanese meals under the setting sun. "We have also been to the one in Penang but we prefer the Bon Odori here as there are more participants enjoying themselves at the dances," said Tan. Also spotted at the stadium grounds were Maizwani Shahieda Arman who came with her college mates Nurul Najidah Sidek and Najwa Fitriyah. Wearing different yukata each, the second year students from Teikyo Language Institute had made the effort to borrow the outfits from their seniors prior to the event. "We have been looking forward to attending the festival after our lecturers told us about it and our seniors told us we should wear the traditional costumes," said Maizwani. Another first-timer was engineer Ohashi Eiichi, 38, who came with his family and found the celebration a well-received one by the Malaysians. "In my hometown in Osaka, we have the same thing but it is a small and close-knit event, nothing as elaborate as this," he said. The event started at 7pm with performances throughout the night till 11pm by the Japanese Traditional Cultural dance group consisting 115 local university students and the Malaysian Cultural Dance group. The event is co-organised by the Japan Club of KL, the Japanese School of KL, the Embassy of Japan and Tourism Selangor. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search. |
| Fond memories of Atria and Rothmans roundabout Posted: 25 Jul 2011 08:10 PM PDT AS A Penangite in the Klang Valley, I must confess that I reminisce more about my home state than my adopted Selangor, which has been my home for the past 30 years. But I have come to embrace and love Petaling Jaya, its landmarks and its people. Which is why I feel particularly nostalgic to have to bid farewell to two of its prominent landmarks, the Atria shopping complex and the Rothmans roundabout. I was having a cuppa with a dear friend at Kopitime last week at Atria. We meet there often because it is convenient for both of us. In the past few months, we have seen the shutters coming down on one outlet after another as the final deadline to move out approaches. Kopitime is a more recent tenant of Atria. But in a way, it epitomises the character of what this mall is all about. It does have most of the things one would expect in a shopping centre but minus the crowds, save for major sales events. The stores tend to be small and personal. At Kopitime, for example, we just have to show up at the counter and the assistant would know what to serve — two Kopi-O. There is a certain quaintness about Atria, and the surrounding shops, that is hard to find in the other malls. I recall the time when it first opened and the anchor tenants were Japanese and French — Kimisawa and Printemps. There was a huge protest by residents of Damansara Jaya as inconsiderate shoppers parked in all the nearby roads. It was a paradigm shift in a way as for the first time ever, there was no need for the residents of suburbia to go to town — meaning the heart of Kuala Lumpur — to shop. The mall had arrived at your doorstep. Today, developers planning a major housing project would put more weightage on a mall and even a hospital than open space. I have many fond memories of Atria as it came about at a time when I was starting a career and a family. My boys spent much time at the mall, especially when it had a games arcade at the top floor. It was small and comfortable, though the only time I "lost" a son while out shopping was here. My eldest son was about three at the time but he gave my wife's full name to the information counter, and having her name broadcast publicly made us cringe with guilt especially when we heard murmurs from shoppers about "irresponsible parents." It was also here that one of the first Swensen's ice-cream parlours opened, and it was a nice place to hang out after dinner. Many of the adjoining stores have survived the many changes of ownership in Atria that was originally known as Gardenia Town Centre. Kimisawa became Parkson Grand while Printemps became Atria Shopping Centre. As reported in StarMetro (July 25), Lien Hoe Corporation took over Atria in the early 2000s, while Parkson Grand supermarket was taken over by Tops and later by Giant in 2005. Then in 2007, Lien Hoe sold Atria to OSK Property Holdings. The current redevelopment project will be carried out by Atria Damansara Sdn Bhd and will include five levels of shopping centre, two office towers and a carpark. Many regulars to Atria appreciate the shops there for their personal touch. Interesting shops that cater to niche markets, be it computers, comics or knitting, have somehow survived the winds of change. There are also nice shops surrounding the mall itself. Bon Bon is one of my favourite restaurants, and I always drop by the two hawker stalls, one selling soya bean and the other rojak, each time I go to Atria. How they will respond or relook their business models with this new development remains to be seen. And what about the Rothmans roundabout? Well, first of all the name Rothmans is long gone but everyone knows the roundabout we are talking about. It does not quite sound the same if we refer to it as the Sin Chew roundabout, or even the Hotel Lisa De Inn roundabout. We all complain about the perpetual congestion here and there has been repeated calls for the roundabout to go. Our wish will now come true. The lights are already in place although all the barriers have been arranged in a circle so we are still approaching a roundabout at this time. I do have my doubts if the traffic lights will solve the congestion or just move the problem further down the road. But each time a roundabout disappears, I feel sad because it is a reflection of the increasing busyness of our lives, even in the suburbs, when we need to be told when to stop and when to go because we are always in a hurry. The roundabout is a British invention and it was primarily built to slow down traffic. In a strange way, a roundabout actually gives us the opportunity to show consideration and courtesy to fellow motorists because the decision to move or to stop is entirely ours. But the die is cast and now is the time for us to say farewell to Atria and Rothmans. Thank you for the memories. Deputy executive editor Soo Ewe Jin wonders if the mini roundabout at the end of Jalan 222 will be the next to go. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search. |
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