Yoyogi Park in central Tokyo hosts a number of internationally themed events, and this week the area will hoist the yellow, green and blue of the Brazilian flag overhead.
The sixth annual Festival Brasil is being organized by The Brazilian Chamber of Commerce in Japan and it will be a three-day affair.
The centerpiece of this cultural exchange is a lineup of music performances held on the park's main outdoor stage. This year, the main show comes from Brazilian pop-rock band Blitz on Sept. 3. The group has been around since the 1980s and has scored many hits in their homeland including a song called "Betty Frigida" in 1983.
Of course, a Brazilian festival wouldn't be complete without the samba and there will be live music and dance performances by samba teams from Japan. Also, because Tokyo's popular Asakusa Samba Carnival was canceled in August due to after-effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, Festival Brasil will give samba fans the chance to get down to the rhythms and dance up a storm.
In addition to the musical entertainment, there will be many food stalls selling Brazilian food. Traditional dishes such as churrasco (grilled meat) and feijoada (bean stew) will be available. Brazilian clothes, accessories, CDs and DVDs will be also sold at stalls.
Festival Brasil will be held at Yoyogi Park, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, on Sept. 2 (from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.) and Sept. 3-4 (from 11 a.m. till 7 p.m.). Yoyogi Park is a short walk from both JR Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line and Yoyogi-koen Station on the Chiyoda Subway Line. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.festivalbrasil.jp.