The hot and humid summer months in Tokyo bring about a series of outdoor festivals and events which are very much a part of Japanese culture. It’s kind of sad to say but these festivals are never too appealing for me as it’s just too hot and they are just too crowded for my liking. I occasionally make rare exceptions like I did for the tanabata star festival at Zojoji Temple back in July but such events just aren’t for me. However, as soon as I heard there would be something of a Star Wars flavour to one I immediately changed my mind!

The reason for such a theme was all in aid of promotion for the latest Disney+ series ‘Ahsoka‘ which had launched with a double episode premier just a couple of days prior to this event on the 25th and 26th August. The Hibiya Park Marunouchi Ondo Bon-odori Dance Festival 2023 was the not-so-snappy name of this event.

Many of us were a little wary of Ahsoka when she was first introduced as Anakin Skywalker’s young Padawan in the 2008 ‘Clone Wars‘ movie but she soon grew to a big fan favourite. The majority of her growth was seen in animated form but she did make live-action appearances in season two of ‘The Mandalorian‘ and ‘The Book of Boba Fett‘. This festival was actually brought to my attention by the news of Ahsoka uchiwa (non-folding) fans being handed out for free. As a fan of hers I had to get one!

Japanese uchiwa fans are often given out for free at summer events in Japan

There were a couple of stormtroopers hanging around early doors ahead of the events 6pm start and I had no idea at that time whether there would actually be anything else to see relating to the sci-fi saga.

The unmistakable sound of the ‘Imperial March‘ coming from the main stage meant that something was about to happen so I quickly moved over to that section of the park, and within seconds Darth Vader inevitably appeared and was introduced to the crowd with a couple of other stormtroopers. I really do wonder what the more traditonalist of attendees thought of this pop culture intrusion!

There were some photo opportuities a bit later so I joined a sizeable line and patiently waited for about 30 minutes, if not longer! Typically the lightsaber I was handed ran out of power as I posed for my first photograph. I can’t ever remember any Star Wars character suffering from such a malfunction! Thankfully a replacement was presented to me although I would have actually preferred one of the red lightsabers as I have the blue one myself so wanted something different. Or maybe red would’ve better suited my mood after such a wait!

As for the ‘Ahsoka‘ show itself, that premiered on Wednesday 23rd August (Japan time) with a double header and I have since seen the third episode too. My initial thoughts are  favourable although I haven’t been blown away by it either. It’s moving along a bit too slow for my liking whilst they flesh out the background of the characters to appeal to the masses who probably haven’t seen ‘The Clone Wars‘ or ‘Rebels‘ animated shows. I have to admit that I am struggling a bit to really relate to this version of a character I’ve spent 15 years with but hopefully that will change as the season develops.

Lets go from dark to light and head back in time to the start of the evening and some non-Star Wars related pictures of the event. The majority of people in the park were probably just there for the festival or the park itself which is usually a nice place to take a break from the concrete jungle.

As well as the main stage and the bon odori dancing, there were also food and drink stalls with attendees of all ages with plenty of girls dressed in traditional yukata which is always a nice sight.

My plan was to just see the Star Wars stuff, get the free fan and leave. I wasn’t anticpating  too much to be fair so was happy that it surpassed my expectations. I didn’t care too much for the more cultural side of things regarding the dancing and so on. Seeing one of the stormtroopers join in with one of the dances circling around the central fountain area was a fun moment and enough for me.

Click here to read ‘Reflecting On 15 Years Since Star Wars Celebration Japan & Looking Ahead To The Next One In 2025!’

Click here to read ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars – The Fate Of Ahsoka’

Click here to read ‘Celebrating Women’s History Month With The A-Z Of Star Wars Female Characters’

Click here to read ‘TF Film Review: Star Wars – The Clone Wars (2008)’