Hey oh y’all,
Happy Setsubun!
While Sumi got to go to a play, I got up late and went to a
different temple to go try to see a night Setsubun performance…probably the
wrong decision if actually seeing a performance was my goal. Crowded was an
understatement. I pretty much only saw the great wall of four year olds on
shoulders. I think you could literally tip toe off the ground and be able to
move based on crowd pushing alone (think sardine packed – which is funny since
sardines are part of the whole Setsubun tradition).
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| I know what you're thinking David...and [not surprisingly] it's not a good idea. (But Sumi, it's fun to go down the up escalator/stairs...ok...) |
I did get some avant garde photos though, so I guess that was
cool.
But all was well at the end– I got to have dinner at a ninja
café and watch a magic show from a ninja (plus eat shabu shabu tabehoudai). I
couldn't help but think of another magician I know who, even though he speaks
English, I understand only slightly better than I did the Japanese speaking
ninja.
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| Linking rings no jutsu. This wasn't in Naruto... |
Then when I got home, I joined my host mother at a karaoke
place – but this one was more like the American style karaoke – a general bar
atmosphere as opposed to a private box. Here I was introduced to enka –
Japanese ballad/folk-country/traditional? – it’s warble-voice teary Japanese songs
for shall we say a slightly older audience?
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| Pandas like rice? |
Though of course I got to contrast this with the only songs
I can sing without a backing vocal track (read: only songs I can sing at all):
WESTERN BOY BANDS!!!!!
Ya, apparently my host sister is a One Direction fan. Oh
well.
DC
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