Showing posts with label Aoi Festival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aoi Festival. Show all posts
Monday, July 11, 2011
Japanese Obon Festival
This past weekend we immersed ourselves in Japanese culture while dancing in the annual Obon Festival. My grandmother and mom flew into town just for the event and all my sisters didn't dare miss out. It was such a great experience learning the folk dances and sharing that piece of history with my grandma. My grandma loves Japanese dancing and some of the dances were even from our "home" island of Kyushu. What a great way to remember our ancestors, celebrate their lives and traditions, and pass on family heritage. Besides, after going to Japan and buying yucatas (summer kimonos), we couldn't resist the chance to dress up and learn the art of tying an Obi. Here are some pictures and highlights of the night.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Osaka & Kyoto: May 15
We started our morning traveling by train and metro to the Aoi Festival in Kyoto. The festival occues only once a year and involves a procession through the Imperial Palace.
After the festival we took the subway and then a street car to the Tenryuji Temple on the western part of the city. The temple is known for it's amazing mural that depicts a dragon coming out of the inside ceiling of the temple. We couldn't take pictures inside though so you'll have to use your imagination.
We spent a good portion of the afternoon shopping in the outdoor markets. We found all sorts of souveniers and traditional Japanese items to bring back home with us.
Once we returned to Osaka we went back to Dutonbori Street for tacoyaki. Taco means octopus in Japanese and yaki refers to anything grilled so tacoyaki is octopus cook on a grill and in this case they were like savory donuts filled with octopus. I have now deemed the tacoyuki, but atleast I tried one. The flavor was good, but I couldn't handle the chewy, crunchy texture nor the sight of tenticles.
Here's a picture of our entire group including Yuca, the daughter of a friend of my grandma's friend. It was so much fun spending the past two days with her and she was an awesome tourguide. She is from Osaka and is currently studying at cosmetology school and spent the weekend with us. Hopefully, she'll come visit us in America some time.
After the festival we took the subway and then a street car to the Tenryuji Temple on the western part of the city. The temple is known for it's amazing mural that depicts a dragon coming out of the inside ceiling of the temple. We couldn't take pictures inside though so you'll have to use your imagination.
We spent a good portion of the afternoon shopping in the outdoor markets. We found all sorts of souveniers and traditional Japanese items to bring back home with us.
Once we returned to Osaka we went back to Dutonbori Street for tacoyaki. Taco means octopus in Japanese and yaki refers to anything grilled so tacoyaki is octopus cook on a grill and in this case they were like savory donuts filled with octopus. I have now deemed the tacoyuki, but atleast I tried one. The flavor was good, but I couldn't handle the chewy, crunchy texture nor the sight of tenticles.
Here's a picture of our entire group including Yuca, the daughter of a friend of my grandma's friend. It was so much fun spending the past two days with her and she was an awesome tourguide. She is from Osaka and is currently studying at cosmetology school and spent the weekend with us. Hopefully, she'll come visit us in America some time.
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