Last weekend's Japanese Food Festival at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center served up more than just food, though there was plenty of that too. Among the festivities: awaodori and yosakoi dance performances, samurai sword dramatics, a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, and a raucous shrine parade.

Eats on offer included yakitori, yakisoba, okonomiyaki, taiyaki, and takoyaki. That's (in order) grilled chicken, grilled noodles, grilled omelet, grilled waffles, and grilled octopus balls.