mumbojumbo 0 Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 Anyone been to any good local obon festivals this year? I am not feeling well and wasn't able to go to mine, but went last year and it was a lot of fun. I even did a bit of a dance. Link to post Share on other sites
soubriquet 0 Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 Yesterday was ours. Great fun. I'll put up some photos when I've sorted them, and if some are any good. Ours is small and relatively insignificant, but the entire community, all ages, is into into it. The best part for me is there was an afternoon and evening of public drinking, but no drunks, no aggro. Children roaming free and groups of youths all having a good time. Two elderly policemen smiling benignly at a community policing itself. Magic. Link to post Share on other sites
soubriquet 0 Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 Young people taking their culture seriously. A true prfessional at work. People queueing to buy crushed ice and chocolate bananas. The Obanazawa hat-dance team. It's a work song, and totally infectious. I love it. Hat-dancers of all ages. Team dancing. More blondes in Japan than in Scandiwegia. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 Nice shots soubs. Chocolate bananas must be the centre of all cultures. That last shot must've been ISO 1600 Link to post Share on other sites
soubriquet 0 Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 Thanks thursday. Grainy as hell, but I wanted the blonde chicks. I was shooting in low light without flash. The Nikon D40 is a low priced entry level DSLR, but it's brilliant. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 and fine blondes they are too. Blondes are to festivals, what Notting Hill gate is to Notting Hill. Link to post Share on other sites
kkk 7 Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 The blonde on the right has a very manly chest. Link to post Share on other sites
soubriquet 0 Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 Boyly, I'd say. Link to post Share on other sites
2pints-mate 0 Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 Looks fun soubs. I'd like to experience something like that. The more local the better I would imagine (well to a certain extent) Link to post Share on other sites
soubriquet 0 Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 It really is fun. Tonight is the hanabi (fireworks). Lots of visitors in town. Link to post Share on other sites
soubriquet 0 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 It's over. She and I were on the roof for an ace view of the fireworks. Oishida had it's annual traffic jam at the end of the event. Obon is brilliant. It's a celebration of the community and an opportunity to sell 400 cups of crushed ice at 200 Yen Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 so that's 80,000 at the end of the night. Cool. Link to post Share on other sites
soubriquet 0 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 There are overheads but soubriquette is a smart lady. And she's nice to cuddle too. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 so how much for a cuddle? and what are the overheads? Link to post Share on other sites
soubriquet 0 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Rent for the tent; ice machine; ice; syrup. (commas have given up on this keyboard so semi-colons). Cuddles come free in this home. We both like skinship. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 grinding ice must be a bit of a shave Link to post Share on other sites
soubriquet 0 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 The past two seasons I've cut my hands smashing ice; and bled a little bit. It's a good job I don't have HIV or hepatitis. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 it's a good job you DON'T KNOW you've got.... Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 I'm a bit bummed, Fujisawa doesn't do anything for Obon, which I'm surprised cos usually it has all the hols.....well I'm pished anyways, so **** it!! hehehe Link to post Share on other sites
soubriquet 0 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 This thread's died an early death. Surely someone somewhere must have been to a matsuri. Or is it because all the diehards are on holiday bloody abroad? Link to post Share on other sites
daver 0 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 i went to two of the big tohoku festivals this year. but they happened in the beginning of the month. nebuta was great, but the real star is kanto. i also was able to get in the last day of hanagasa here in yamagata. not bad, but a little pedestrian (pardon the pun) after seeing the others. Link to post Share on other sites
soubriquet 0 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Any photos? Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 Thats a great trip Daver, did the same thing too and youre on the money with Akita's Kanto. Thats sweet! The red glow of that long street is wicked. Kanto is in my top 3 of matsuri's here - Nebuta is overrated but Aomori is beautiful, especially along the harbor. We drank sake in the park and threw a frisbee hardly breaking a sweat. Loved it, no humidity (at least when I was there). Good microbrewery there too. So many Japanese hippies at those festivals eh Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 nebuta in aomori another one of nebuta I dont have any of Kanto Cuz I left my battery charger in Nagano yamagata/akita area lighthouse Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 nebuta in aomori Link to post Share on other sites
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