“Loud”, “full”: if you asked a Japanese what Gaya-Gaya means, they would probably answer like this. It is one of the most used Japanese onomatopoeias in daily life, and indicates a context where there is joy and energy. A context like that of Mercato Centrale Torino, which hosts – from 31 May to 2 June – the first Gaya-Gaya festival, a noisy, full event, full of performances, guests, joy and Japanese experiences.
The festival, which has obtained the patronage of the Japanese Embassy, is organized by Mercato Centrale Torino in collaboration with the artisan of the Ramen and other Japanese specialties shop Akira Yoshida. A great celebration of oriental culture, with three days of educational events, moments of entertainment, workshops and gastronomic tastings.
There will be many very important guests who will color the festival, starting with Chef Hiro, the most famous Japanese cuisine chef in Italy, who will show how to cook Okonomiyaki, the typical dish of Osaka (the city where the Expo will be held 2025). The art of the samurai will arrive at Mercato Centrale Torino with Kamui, a troupe of “Samurai Artists” who spread Japanese art and culture throughout the world (their leader, Tetsuro Shimaguchi, also participated in Quentin Tarantino’s film Kill Bill as actor and choreographer of some fight scenes).
The great protagonist of the three days will obviously be the great Japanese gastronomic culture, with the Tea Ceremony (Cha no yu, 茶の湯, “hot water for tea”) which will be told by the teacher Tomoko Hoashi, or with sake, explained in all its meanings from sake sommelier Kana Cappelli. Or again, Luca Rendina will take the public to discover Shōchū (焼酎), a distillate originating from Japan.
The music will be entrusted to Kikuchi Shinobu, who will play the sanshin (三線, literally “three strings”), an Okinawan plucked string instrument, probably deriving from the Chinese sanxian, and to Takuya Taniguchi, a Japanese Wakadaiko artist who travels the world playing traditional instruments Japanese. There is also space for contemporary storytelling with the participation of characters such as Kenta Suzuki, the most influential Japanese influencer in Italy, or Erikottero, a Japanese YouTuber famous as a Japanese language teacher for the Italian people.
Furthermore, during the three days of the festival, the Terrace of Mercato Centrale Torino, with its picturesque view of Porta Palazzo, will be transformed into the Ashai Beer Garden, an open-air beer garden with street food curated by the Ramen Bar Akira, and the Spazio Fare will host, in addition to the performances of the many guests, a small market with Japanese artisans and producers who will sell typical products.
