New Year’s in Japan: Joya no Kane, Hatsumode, and Shishi-mai

I’ve heard a lot and have spoken to a lot of people about the New Year’s traditions. There were so many small pieces that lead up to the evening itself that I decided to focus on two of the biggest and give them a go: Joya no Kane (New Year’s Bell) and Hatsumode (First Temple […]

World Championship Hoop Dance Contest 2017

Having such a wonderful establishment like the Heard Museum so close has allowed me to gain an insight into cultures and customs from my own country that I never knew existed. One such tradition is Hoop Dancing, which is practiced by a wide variety of tribes all across North America. Once a year, they meet […]

Ballet Arizona: The Nutcracker

I’m quite the novice when it comes to ballet, much like musical theater. Given the holiday season, I decided to take the plunge with my wife and go see The Nutcracker, as performed by Phoenix Ballet (Ballet Arizona), at the incredibly beautiful Orpheum theater in Downtown Phoenix. I went into the performance knowing next to […]

Dia De Los Muertos Festival

This year, being busy Halloween weekend, I wanted to check out Phoenix’s Dia De Los Muertos Festival. It’s part of my cultural heritage that I never really did much with growing up nor as an adult up until this point and I wanted to change that. From the description of the festival on their website, […]

The Murals at Steele Indian School Park

The murals outside Steel Indian School park have always been a treat for me to look at when I’ve been walking along the road to catch the light rail. A while back, however, a new cycle of art was put up, and to capture the current state of art at the park, I wanted to […]