The end of August is coming slowly/fast* (* cross out what does not apply), and that means it is time for the second biggest anime convention in The Netherlands: Abunai! The convention is still having their base at NH Koningshof in Veldhoven (near Eindhoven), spread out over three days from Friday August 25th, where you can expect a hot weekend filled with activities. The theme this year is History in the Making. The schedule is out for a while now, there are many things to do. Time for a list of 10 activities that you shouldn’t miss out on at Abunai! 2017!
1. Tea ceremony
Escape the busy convention by joining Ambaran Art’s tea ceremony. The ceremony in its simplest form is called oboncha, meaningtea on the tray. You can either participate in the ceremony or watch it. The ceremony will be first come basis depending on the location. You can attend the Tea Ceremony on Friday from 21.30 at Room 82 (Crafts), Saturday from 10.30 at Room 63 (Crafts).
2. Samurai/Geisha ILLUSION
Japone is a performers troupe consisting of internationally renowned Japanese artists Utako Arakawa (soprano/Vocals), Ayumi Matsuda (Recorder), Noriko Amano (Keyboard), Makiko Goto (Koto), Kazuma Glen Motomura (Dance), Shinnosuke Fujiwara (Dance) and Hiromi Haneda (Screen image art).
They created the show Samurai/Geisha ILLUSION especially for Abunai! This performance will fuse classic and contemporary music, modern and Japanese traditional dance, Japanese sword combat, theater acting and screen image animation. The performance will take place on the Saturday from 15.30 at the main stage. In total the performance will take 2 hours.
3. Lecture: Budget Cosplay
Are you interested in making your own cosplay, but not sure how to do so on a tight budget? Join the Budget Cosplay lecture of Iris Snoys to find out how to accomplish this task! Cheap materials, tips and tricks are discussed and help you make your next costume for a smaller price. The lecture will take place on Friday at Room 58 (Lectures) from 19.30.
4. Lecture: How to Wear a Yukata
Have you always wondered how to wear a yukata? You find it complicated or are in need of tips to polish your folding skills? Here is your chance! The Sushi Times’ writer Hennie will teach you how to wear a summer kimono in this lecture. You can also bring your own and fold along. The lecture take place on Sunday from 10.30 at Boszaal (Panels).
5. Japanese Beer Tasting
This year at Abunai! Nosawa has a collection of beer all the way from Japan for you to taste! Join them and discover the taste of Japanese beer. Signing up is required beforehand, the attendance fee is €12.50. Please note that this activity is only open for visitors age 18 and above. The legal drinking age for The Netherlands is 18. The beer tasting will take place on Friday from 21.30 at Room 55 (Food Workshop) and Saturday from 22.00 at the same location.
6. Taiko Drum Show
Japan Center will do a taiko drum show during Abunai! with two gigantic drums. You can expect an energetic show with the possibility to be blown away. The performance will take place on Friday at the Brabantzaal from 19.00.
7. Kanzashi workshop
Always wanted to make Japanese hair ornaments known as Kanzashi, but never knew how to? You can craft Kanzashi and continue to make more at home with the instructions provided. Signing up is required beforehand, the attendance fee is €3.00. You can attend the workshop on Friday from 18.00 at Room 82 (Crafts), and two times on Saturday from 12.00 at Room 82 (Crafts) and from 16.00 at the same location.
8. Iai: Samurai Workshop
Handling a Japanese sword is a life-long journey of training and study. Take your first baby samurai steps in this Iai 101 class on how to draw, use and resheath a Japanese sword. This training will be done with wooden training swords and a sheath. Please note that signing up beforehand is required to attend this workshop, that will take place on Sunday from 13.00 at the Brabantzaal.
9. Writing Yonkoma Workshop
You think you’re funny? Time to put your comedic skills to the test in this workshop where you’ll write a four panel comic, also known as yonkoma. The base of a funny yonkoma is a good script and that’s where the focus of this workshop lies. The workshop will be done by Aniway on Friday in Room 58 (Lectures) from 16.00.
10. Optreden van haru (van de band universe)
haru, the lead vocalist of universe, will tour Europe and one of the places where he will perform is at Abunai! He is the musical main guest of the convention, and you can expect a performance on Saturday from 20.00. Afterwards it is possible to get merchandise and the signature on it. AVO Events & Promotion is part of the crew, and AVO Blog has the possibility to interview haru during his visit at Abunai! Do you have a question for him, that we should ask him? Place a comment below!
Here is a video message that the singer made for the visitors of Abunai! 2017.
The Saturday of Abunai! 2017 is sold out, but keep an eye on the social media of Abunai! as they did a purge of not paid Saturday tickets. But you can still buy tickets for Friday and Sunday, at the website of Abunai!.
Source: Abunai!
