Anime cosplayers, kimono vendors and thousands of Japan-curious Houstonians packed Hermann Park Saturday for the first day of the Japan Festival.
The 32nd annual celebration of Japanese culture, organized by the Japan-America Society of Houston, featured Japanese handicrafts, food and drink, martial arts demonstrations and live performances. The event is free and runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The 90-degree weather did not deter crowds from descending upon the festival’s rows and rows of booths, which sold everything from samurai swords to Hello Kitty-themed handheld fans to earrings made of miniature, origami paper cranes. Lines stretched across the sunny lawn as people waited up to 30 minutes for foods like ramen noodles, wagyu hotdogs, bubble tea and Japanese cheesecake…