Thousands of Jakartans enjoyed the first day of the sixth annual Little Tokyo Ennichisai Japanese cultural festival near the Blok M shopping district in South Jakarta on Saturday.

The parking lot was transformed into long lanes of booths and two stages were installed at the end of the street and in front of the shopping center.

Some watched as energetic groups of women and men carried mikhosi (portable Shinto shrines) in a parade.

Meanwhile, others lined up to buy delicacies such as takoyaki (minced-octopus dough balls), okonomiyaki (savory pancakes with vegetables and meat) and taiyaki (fish-shaped cakes made with red beans).

Manga (or Japanese comic book) fans were also seen asking roaming cosplayers dressed as Japanese comic book characters to take photos together.

'€œI love Japanese culture, especially its fashion,'€ said Indra Perwita Sari, a 25-year-old who works at a Japanese company, adding that that her love for Japan grew when she studied Japanese literature in college.

Indra, dressed as a fashionable Shibuya girl for the occasion, said she wanted to watch cultural shows, including the performance of the Jakarta Koto Club, a group that plays traditional Japanese instruments.

'€œAfter this, I will try to find taiyaki,'€ she said while munching on an okonomiyaki.

Another visitor, Saito Koji, was there with his family.

A Japanese who moved to Jakarta last year for work, Saito, whose wife was clad in a kimono, said he was having a good time at the event.

'€œThis kind of festival makes me feel like I'€™m back home,'€ Saito said, adding that he loved trying the food, like the fish cakes, which he said were surprisingly good.

The two-day festival, which ends Sunday, featured traditional cultural attractions, including wadaiko (drum) and yosakoi (traditional dance) performances.

On a separate stage, there were groups like the Faint Star duo, the dancing and singing group Pink Babies, Love Android and the musician Hiroaki Kato, among others.

Festival committee head Deisei Takeya said that the Ennichisai was a way for Japanese expatriates to show gratitude and friendship to Indonesians. '€œWe want both Jakartans and Japanese in the city to mingle and enjoy the festival,'€ he said.

Deisei said it took six months for the committee to prepare the festival, which was themed '€œAlways Smile'€.

'€œAround 2,000 people, including participants, volunteers and staffers took part in the festival,'€ he said, adding that there were around 170 booths at the festival, most of which were serving food.

'€œWe also had the Osoji Club [a community organization for waste management] help us pick up trash,'€ he said.

The committee is working with the Osoji Club after there were complaints about trash at last year'€™s event.

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