Turning Japanese in the Park

For those of you whose exposure to traditional Japanese culture consists predominantly of sushi and Sapporo in Soho, here's a chance to remedy the sitaution.

This weekend sees a free two-day carnival in Hyde Park celebrating the myriad facets of the land of the rising sun. Japan 2001 covers ancient warrior skills, gardening, art and technology.

One of the highlights of 'Matsuri - Japan in the Park' - will be a display of the ancient warrior skills known as 'Yabusame'. This mounted-archery tournament dates back to the the Nara period of 710 to 784AD when we were running around in animal hides and being invaded every other week.

Yabusame reached its peak in the 12th century when a shrine was established at Kamakura by the great warrior Minamoto Yoritomo who also founded the military dictatorship, the Shogunate, that lasted almost 700 years.

Y&abusame is performed on a roped off baba (track) of some 240 metres in length. The three main archers and Shinto priests pray to the god in a small shrine before knocking back a goodly amount of sake to steady the old nerves.

The aim is to thunder down the track while drawing arrows and firing at three mato - wooden targets fixed at head height on bamboo poles. The trick is to hit the first target (fairly obviously), then to draw again, aim and fire accurately before reaching the next one.

Those seeking something a little more zen will be relieved to know that there will be areas for traditional dances, arts and crafts and digital technology.

Tents will provide Japanese refreshments from where you can relax and enjoy the processions of shrine-bearers and dancers. To immerse yourself in this explosion of culture get yourself along to the north-east side of Hyde Park (beside Speaker's Corner) from 10am to 8pm both Saturday and Sunday.

For more information, call the information line on 020 7499 9644 or visit www.japan2001.org.uk