Favorite part of a matsuri
Today I went to the local Japanese Association's aki matsuri (fall festival) with kyuuketsuki_ooh and ninjacylon . We had a lot of fun, and it brought back memories of participating in the aki matsuri in Japan. Look forward to a post about aki matsuri in near future.
One of the things I miss the most is being able to go to matsuri (festivals), especially in the summer and autumn when there seemed to be one every weekend. It was an opportunity to take a break from your routine, be part of a community, and celebrate life. That leads me to this week's shitsumon:
What is your favorite part of a matsuri?
If you've never been to one (either in Japan or your home country) before, what would you look forward to experiencing the most?
I can't pick between two things so I'm going to say it's a tie between the food and taiko. I love matsuri food, which includes takoyaki, yakisoba, yakitori, crepes, karage, fries, corn dogs, and chocolate-covered bananas. There's such a wide variety, and it's always fresh. When I think Japanese food, matsuri food is what first pops into my mind even if some of the things are not distinctly Japanese (however, the way they prepare it may be a little different). Just writing about it makes me hungry!
My other favorite aspect of a matsuri is the taiko performances. In America, they're actual performances on stage. In Japan, taiko is also played on floats by members of a community, as well as on-stage with special groups. I played with my elementary students and so taiko has a special place in my heart. Whenever I hear the pounding drums and the accompanying flute, I think back to the wonderful memories.
Photo by Chiho Goff
One of the things I miss the most is being able to go to matsuri (festivals), especially in the summer and autumn when there seemed to be one every weekend. It was an opportunity to take a break from your routine, be part of a community, and celebrate life. That leads me to this week's shitsumon:
What is your favorite part of a matsuri?
If you've never been to one (either in Japan or your home country) before, what would you look forward to experiencing the most?
I can't pick between two things so I'm going to say it's a tie between the food and taiko. I love matsuri food, which includes takoyaki, yakisoba, yakitori, crepes, karage, fries, corn dogs, and chocolate-covered bananas. There's such a wide variety, and it's always fresh. When I think Japanese food, matsuri food is what first pops into my mind even if some of the things are not distinctly Japanese (however, the way they prepare it may be a little different). Just writing about it makes me hungry!
My other favorite aspect of a matsuri is the taiko performances. In America, they're actual performances on stage. In Japan, taiko is also played on floats by members of a community, as well as on-stage with special groups. I played with my elementary students and so taiko has a special place in my heart. Whenever I hear the pounding drums and the accompanying flute, I think back to the wonderful memories.
Photo by Chiho Goff