Best of Berlin 2013

January 1, 2014

It’s 2014, welcome to a new year of exciting and interesting events and festivals in Berlin!

But let’s remember what happened last year, while movie premieres clearly dominated the year of 2013 and traditional events like the Green Week, St Patrick’s Day or the Oberbaum Bridge Water Fight were back in town, Berlin also had a good variety of new events, like the celebration of HOLI in Germany, President Barack Obama’s visit to Berlin, the European Kendo Championships or David Hasselhoff’s attempt to save the wall.

The year 2013 in Pictures.

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25th European Kendo Championships in Berlin

April 15, 2013

After 15 years, the European Kendo Championships were back in Berlin. About 300 competitors from 30 European countries participated in this years championships from April 12th till April 14th 2013. For all of you who don’t know about Kendo, it’s that japanese sport where you try to smash your opponent’s head with a wooden stick.

Well in fact, the wooden stick is a bamboo swords called “Shinai” and it’s not only the head, but a couple of point scoring targets on the upper half of the body, which must be hit with an accurate strike or thrust. Continuation of awareness must be present and shown throughout the execution of the strike and the fighter must be mentally and physically ready to attack again.

Three referees, holding a red and a white flag, are present during every match, two of them must agree for a point to be awarded.

The winners of this years championships are Italy (Men) and Germany (Women), Congratulations!

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Japan Festival Berlin 2011

January 17, 2011

The Japan Festival 2011 took place during the last 2 days at Berlin’s Urania with many stands, artists and two stages with non-stop-live programs such as Taiko Drums, Aikido, Karate, Kendo, Cosplay, Ju Tai Jutsu, and many more.

Even an authentic Japanese cuisine freshly made by Japanese chief Takao Udagawa such as Sushi, Udon and Misu.

For me, it was a really funny and interesting festival, maybe because it wasn’t all about cosplay and mangas but more about the culture, the food and the lifestyle of the japanese people.

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