Tag: Japan Festival Boston

Find Your Inner Ninja

Your Inner Ninja
If you’ve ever seen the NBC show, American Ninja Warrior, you’ve probably already realized that it’s one of those shows that you don’t really know why you watch it, but you just can’t stop. In fact, it’s kind of like going to a casino and playing the slots in the sense that you know that it’s unlikely that anyone’s going to win, but you go anyway because it’s just kind of fun. However, if you’ve watched the show and thought to yourself “I want to know how these people do this stuff” instead of thinking to yourself “who would be crazy enough to do this to themselves,” there are a few events in the Boston area this weekend that will help you find your inner ninja.

First, if you’ve always wanted to see what it would be like to race across something, you may want to head over to Fenway Park this weekend. This is because Brigham and Women’s Hospital is hosting a ClimbAmerica fundraiser at Fenway Park this Saturday (June 7, 2014) from 9:00 A.M. on to raise money for heart disease treatment and research. This event will allow you and your friends or family to race up and down the stairs of Fenway park so that your other friends and family will sponsor your run and give money to charity (at least that’s the hope.) For more information on the ClimbAmerica event at Fenway Park and/or to register for the event, please visit the Brigham and Women’s Hospital ClimbAmerica page.

Secondly, if you really want to know how some of the best contestants on American Ninja Warrior learn the techniques that they use to get through the course, you may want to check out a Parkour class at the Cummings School in Somerville. This is because Parkour, which is the art of efficient movement, is one of the techniques that many of the top competitors on America Ninja Warrior use to get over and across the obstacles on the course. In fact, Parkour is not only a great way to bring out your inner ninja, but also a great way to get some exercise. As a result, if you would really love to build up your strength, speed, endurance, and ultimately learn how to move in a more fluid fashion, the Parkour class at the Cummings School may be exactly what you’re looking for. For more information on the Parkour Class at the Cummings School and other Parkour classes throughout the country, please visit the Parkour Generations Americas website.

Finally, if you want to explore the roots of the ninja and learn a little more about the culture of the people that actually came up with the idea for the show, Ninja Warrior, the Japan Festival in Boston is here to help. The Japan Festival in Boston, which runs from 12:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. on Saturday (June 7, 2014) as part of the Cambridge Arts River Festival, is a cultural fair that features Japanese artwork, clothing, food, jewelry, toys, and more. For more information on the Japan Festival in Boston, please visit the Japan Festival in Boston website.

Photo credit: Jeyhun85 / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Friday Fun: Music Festivals and More

There’s no question that summer is rapidly approaching. The weather is getting warmer, the sun is staying out longer, and the house cats of the world are propelling themselves towards windows to get as close to the squirrels as they can. However, no matter what you consider to be the strongest indication that summer is on its way, one question still remains. How are you going to enjoy the nice weather this weekend? Well, if you’re looking for a way to get outside and enjoy the nice weather in the Boston area this weekend, here are some outdoor events that you should definitely check out.

First, if you’re a neo hippy (yes, you read that right) or you’re just into 90’s bands that no one’s actually heard of, you may want to check out Radio 92.9’s Earth Fest. Earth Fest is sort of like a modern day Woodstock in the fact that it gives the unwashed masses a chance to stand in a field all day and watch a whole bunch of different bands play for free. Fortunately, Radio 92.9’s version of Woodstock is a little more family friendly than the original as it features a number of bands specifically for kids in addition to the bands that are aimed at all of the people who were actually around in the 90’s. Earth Fest will open its doors at around 10:00 A.M. on Saturday, May 18, 2013 at the DCR Hatch Shell in Boston. For more information on Wood…err…Earth Fest, check out the Earth Fest website.

Secondly, if you’re not really into 90’s music or hanging around in one place all day, you may find Porchfest more to your liking. The Somerville Arts Council has a somewhat strange but incredibly creative tradition of encouraging all of its local musicians to hold concerts throughout the city on a specific day each year. This tradition is known as Porchfest because each concert is actually held on the front porch of one of the musicians performing there. As a result, if you are in the Somerville area on Saturday and you want to check out the largest and quite frankly one of the most bizarre collections of music you will ever hear, you may want to take a look at the webpage for this year’s Porchfest.

Finally, if you’re not really into rocking out, but you’ve always been a big fan of Japan, you may want to check out Japan Festival Boston. Japan Festival Boston is an annual celebration of all things Japanese, and it has more Japanese food, vendors, and performers than you’ll know what to do with. In fact, the entire festival is designed to mimic a traditional Japanese festival, so you can expect a truly authentic Japanese experience with a Boston feel. For more information on Japan Festival Boston, please visit the Japan Festival Boston website.