Pat's Blog

The word ‘monosso’ is dialect for ‘tremendous, fantastic, colossal’ etc. in the Sanuki dialect. ‘Sanuki’ is of course the old name of our Kagawa prefecture, Japan’s smallest and one of the most vibrant prefectures in the country. Now that the 49th Takamatsu Festival is winding down, the spectacular fireworks over, the dancers all back at work and soon school;



I’m posting a few photos to show you just how much vibrancy we have here with our festivals in the hope that you as future tourists to Japan, may come next year and see what we have.



There are still some events running through August & September. The beautiful Tamamo Park right across from Takamatsu Central JR station is open with free admission in the evenings. Why not come and see the illuminated Hiunkaku Garden with its traditional lighting and lanterns? There will be a cool mist spray available.

From: Friday July 18th~Sunday August 31st.

Times: 7:00~9:00 pm



In Yashima near Takamatsu there is the Yashima Yu-Yakei (evening/night view) Festival

Dates: Every Friday and Saturday until September 13th

Times: 6:00 pm~9:00pm

Places: Yashima Summit Reigan-chaya and Momotaro chaya



Also, the Mure-Genpei Ishikari (stone lantern) Road

Period: Sat. August 9th~Sunday September 13th

In the Mure town area approximately 1 kilometer along the old Aji Shimo-kaido. Take the Kotoden train to Yakuri Station. Please refer to my previous blog in summer last year.



The Yashima “Tenku Music Live!

Catch live performances on the summit of Mt.Yashima

Times: 5:30~8:00 pm

Lineup: Sat. Aug. 23rd. Tibichi, Hau’oli’s Masako Aketa Hula Studio performance.

Fri. Sept. 5th Ukulele Heaven

The Shinoue Onsen (hot springs) Festival

Date: Saturday August 30th

Time: 1:00 pm~9:30 pm

Place: Hotaru-to-Bunka-no-Sato

Events include catching fish with bare hands!



Then there’s the Sunport Takamatsu Triathlon 2014

Date: Sunday, September 7th

Time: 7:00am~12:00 noon.

For any enquiries on any of these events in English or Chinese, please contact the Inter-governmental Exchange Office

Tourism and Exchange Section

Takamatsu City Hall

Tel: 839-2197

www.machikadomusic.net

Sunport is just north of the Takamatsu JR Central Station and very easy to find. The tourist information Center is just outside the Takamatsu JR Central Station, so things are easy to find and the friendly staff are multi-lingual to assist overseas travellers.


For more info on Takamatsu:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Takamatsu

http://www.city.takamatsu.kagawa.jp/english/

http://tia-takamatsu.jp/

http://www.my-kagawa.jp/eg/

http://www.my-kagawa.jp/special/visitor/kanko/index.htm

http://www.i-pal.or.jp/profile/topics/kagawas-welcome-card.html

Other bloggers in Takamatsu of interest:
http://cathy.ashita-sanuki.jp
http://ogijima.com

http://ww8.tiki.ne.jp/~tmath/home/
  

The word ‘monosso’ is dialect for ‘tremendous, fantastic, colossal’ etc. in the Sanuki dialect. ‘Sanuki’ is of course the old name for our Kagawa prefecture, Japan’s smallest and one of the most vibrant places in the country.



Running from Wednesday August 12th~Thursday August 14th the 49th Summer Festival will host many events, some of which will coincide with some great summer music in the Sunport area right here in Takamatsu.

www.machikadomusic.net

Sunport is just north of the Takamatsu JR Central Station and very easy to find. The tourist information Center is just outside the station so things are easy to find and the friendly staff are multi-lingual to assist overseas travellers.



I dropped in to take a look at the opening ceremony and took some photos while the light was still good and before the crowds started arriving. Taiko, or Japanese traditional drums and their groups performed through the first part of the activities.



The Takamatsu Summer Festival is now considered one of the 4 major festivals in the island of Shikoku in Japan. Coinciding with the Inland Sea’s 80th anniversary and commemoration as a national park. The Inland Sea is of course, separating three of the four main islands in Japan.



This year’s fireworks festival is tipped to be the largest in Takamatsu’s history. This will be held on August 13th from 8:00~8:50. The theme of this year’s fireworks display will be, ‘Marine Capital of the Seto Inland Sea’


Traffic will be regulated at the Sunport area so it may be best to walk or rent a bicycle from the underground bicycle rental station right in from of the Takamatsu JR central station.



And then the climax of these wonderful summer days will be of course, the Obon dancing in the central street (Chuo Dori) on Thursday night Aug. 14th. So why not join in? It’s perfectly ok to join in the last groups who will be without costumes! If there’s time, you may even be able to register for a quick training session at the I-Pal and get a dancing uniform. This will depend upon bookings so be quick!

http://www.i-pal.or.jp/en/whats-i-pal.html

Drop in and the I-Pal is centrally located and on the corner of the Central Park. Now what could be a better way to authenticate your Japan experience? Nothing … so if you have time, please get involved. I’ll see you all again soon.

Upcoming events in Kagawa!!

Kagawa Waterfront Festival;

July 19-August 8. Will include 15-minute hologram shows on a giant water screen in the sea. Come and enjoy art, dynamic historical storytelling, and entertainment. Shows are at 19:40, 20:30 and 21:20 at Sunport. For more details (in Japanese) see: http://www.pref.kagawa.jp/seto80/event/waterfront.html

Upcoming events in Kagawa!!

Kagawa Waterfront Festival;
July 19-August 8. Will include 15-minute hologram shows on a giant water screen in the sea. Come and enjoy art, dynamic historical storytelling, and entertainment. Shows are at 19:40, 20:30 and 21:20 at Sunport. For more details (in Japanese) see: http://www.pref.kagawa.jp/seto80/event/waterfront.html
Sensory Dining in Tamamo Park;

Gourmet cuisine together with works by top artists here in Kagawa and local craftspeople. This will be a special dining experience. Details are not up yet but last year this special event ran from August 10 through 18. Information will be posted on their website soon: http://www.takumikumo.com/shiro-cafe/

For more info on Takamatsu:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Takamatsu

http://www.city.takamatsu.kagawa.jp/english/

http://tia-takamatsu.jp/

http://www.my-kagawa.jp/eg/

http://www.my-kagawa.jp/special/visitor/kanko/index.htm

http://www.i-pal.or.jp/profile/topics/kagawas-welcome-card.html

Other bloggers in Takamatsu of interest:

http://cathy.ashita-sanuki.jp

http://ogijima.com

http://ww8.tiki.ne.jp/~tmath/home/   

Takamatsu’s waterfront area is world class. One of the best, and to commemorate the Inland Sea’s becoming the first national park 80 years ago, there will be some special events starting July 19th and running through until August 8th


There will be a hologram projected somehow on to a screen of water mist pumped in to the air with the theme of “Genpei Gasen” or the Genpei Wars, an historical battle between the Taira and Minamoto clans during the late-Heian period of Japan. A time of political turbulence and fierce clan rivalry for the Japanese throne.

I went to the Sunport area and watched the crew working on an anchored on a barge off the shoreline and testing this display. It looked pretty good but the photos I took didn’t, so I took these from the official promotion’s materials.


People watching will be able to interact with the hologram using smartphones with the link for the event. Fishing for fish created by the hologram, or catching hologram generated monsters created by the events creaters; TeamLab.

http://www.team-lab.net/en

As you can see from TeamLab’s English site, they’re a very creative group so this should be a wonderful event!

Along with the hologram displays, there will be a wide variety of other performances, street artists, jugglers, food stalls, music by a Self Defense Force big band in the white tent structure in Sunport etc.

Times: The events will start from 17:00 to 21:00, 3 times every night. The hologram display will be held 3 times per evening at the following times.

1st 19:40

2nd 20:30

3rd 21:20

This event will be popular and although free, due to limited numbers, you’ll need a ticket. You can get an advanced ticket (recommended) using Ticketpia at any Lawsons or 7/11 convenience store.

Alternatively, on the day starting at 5:00 at the ticket booth near the Mikayla restaurant on the foreshore and this is very easy to find. Mikayla has two sweeping white arches on either side and a large lit sign in English.

Other events and news!

An enjoyable collaboration of Japanese & Italian food and table wear created by artists. Together with jazz piano songs (available only with meal bookings)

7/19th ( Sat.) ~ 27th.(Sun) 23th off.

Link. http://www.takumikumo.com

place : Hiunkaku in Tamamo Park

time ; 17:45 ~ 19:45 20;00 ~ 22:00

charge 8,500 yen (including tax , not including drinks)

contact [mail] info@takumikumo.com

[tell] 087-881-2933 ( 10:00 ~ 17:00 ) weekdays only.

Other bloggers in Takamatsu of interest:

http://cathy.ashita-sanuki.jp

http://ogijima.com

http://ww8.tiki.ne.jp/~tmath/home/


Where we are:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Takamatsu

http://www.city.takamatsu.kagawa.jp/english/

http://www.my-kagawa.jp/special/visitor/kanko/index.htm

http://www.i-pal.or.jp/profile/topics/kagawas-welcome-card.html


  

Kosupure is a Japanese phenomenon now enjoyed all over the world. The name is mangled from the English ‘costume play’. Now regarded as an art form, kosupre fans are to be seen everywhere usually getting together for photos shoots and mutual admiration. Theatrical in a many ways, yet a subculture it is, and the entities come from the real world or the world of anime (Japanese animation) often with inanimate forms being given anthropomorphic ones and it is not unusual to see genders switched.



These kids were in the Sunport area and I happened upon this group by chance and asked if I could take a few photos.



I’m not entirely comfortable with kosupre but then again I grew up in a sports environment and a very different age.



Kosupre is a significant part of modern Japanese culture and there are many websites devoted to the topic. Costumes vary with attention to details, authenticity of characters and for these people this is after all a form of expression and a highly personal journey.



In the West we have steam punk and they are similar. steam punk kids (not always kids, mind you) make similar efforts to emulate usually Victorian era costumes that always remind me of coming from Jules Verne’s stories.



Live & let live ..
Some of the players have dedicated photographers on hand to capture their personal kosupre moments.



So when you visit Japan there’s every chance you will see a group of these people in the cities.
Where we are and how to get here and we hope you will visit. It’s really very easy especially if you’re already in Japan.

Other bloggers in Takamatsu of interest:
http://cathy.ashita-sanuki.jp
http://ogijima.com
http://ww8.tiki.ne.jp/~tmath/home/

Where we are:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Takamatsu

http://www.city.takamatsu.kagawa.jp/english/

http://www.my-kagawa.jp/special/visitor/kanko/index.htm

http://www.i-pal.or.jp/profile/topics/kagawas-welcome-card.html

  

The seasons are a very important part of Japan’s culture and the Japanese think about their identities & culture as connected with the cycles of seasonal change.



Every year in our Central Park here in Takamatsu, the Winter Festival is held from the week before and up until Christmas eve.



This year the stage events, food stalls, colorful people were all here and with the inclusion of a new Foods from Hokkaido event.



I was impressed with this new event and bought some mushroom soup and mushroom pasties from the Kamada company’s stall. They really did taste good. So good in fact I want back for a second helping of both.


Scallops, fish etc. from Hokkaido all seem to taste so wonderful.



If you’re in Takamatsu at this time of year please come and see our Winter Festival.
http://www.city.takamatsu.kagawa.jp/english/sightseeing/event/takamatsu-winter-festival.html
I’ll be back next year with reports on what is going on in the area. If you have and suggestions, please leave a comment. Until then, please have an enjoyable and safe Christmas and New year!



Other bloggers in Takamatsu of interest:
http://cathy.ashita-sanuki.jp
http://ogijima.com
http://ww8.tiki.ne.jp/~tmath/home/

Where we are:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Takamatsu


http://www.city.takamatsu.kagawa.jp/english/

http://www.my-kagawa.jp/special/visitor/kanko/index.htm

http://www.i-pal.or.jp/profile/topics/kagawas-welcome-card.html

Other bloggers in Takamatsu of interest:
http://cathy.ashita-sanuki.jp
http://ogijima.com
http://ww8.tiki.ne.jp/~tmath/home/

Where we are:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Takamatsu


http://www.city.takamatsu.kagawa.jp/english/

http://www.my-kagawa.jp/special/visitor/kanko/index.htm

http://www.i-pal.or.jp/profile/topics/kagawas-welcome-card.html

  

Triathlon: definition; swim, run, ride a bike. This is another wonderful event in our city and of course is open for any foreign athletes to join. And they do, I counted around 7 this year. Perhaps there were more.



Events like these show us that Takamatsu is quickly becoming a modern city with world-class facilities for athletes and well capable of hosting major events.



Surprisingly there were quite a few men & women well in to middle age competing. Some were past even those criterion. It’s refreshing and encouraging.



Despite the approaching typhoon ‘Man-Yi’ the triathlon athletes toughed out the conditions and made the even another success.



I’ll be back in a week or so with more news from Takamatsu. So until then, enjoy the respite from the summer’s heat and the coming autumn with it’s cool breezes.



Other bloggers of interest:
http://cathy.ashita-sanuki.jp
http://ogijima.com
http://ww8.tiki.ne.jp/~tmath/home/

Where we are:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Takamatsu


http://www.city.takamatsu.kagawa.jp/english/

http://www.my-kagawa.jp/special/visitor/kanko/index.htm

http://www.i-pal.or.jp/profile/topics/kagawas-welcome-card.html

  

At last the long awaited Setouchi Triennale Art Festival is underway, the summer part anyway and it’s certainly summer here in Kagawa right now. http://setouchi-artfest.jp/en/



This session kicked off in the Sunport’s Art Plaza near the central station with ‘The Bangladesh Project’ with themes of boat building, the sea, and its transporting power, which can carry flotsam & jetsam that drift all around the world sometimes with messages and clues as to other worlds & cultures. I’ve have firsthand experience of this as a young student on a wild and remote Tasmanian area named Ocean Beach, over 60 miles long. Finding a plastic detergent bottle that fascinated me as I didn’t know it was from a place called Japan, and couldn’t read the katakana and realize it had made its way all the way down to 40 degrees south. It might have been thrown from a Japanese trawler fishing in the southern hemisphere? I don’t know.



The themes are ethnic-centered and interesting. Many Bangladeshi artisans are here working with their traditional crafts and this is a long event in the Sunport area of Takamatsu right near the central JR station. From July 20th~September 1st



There were symposiums and performances and ‘The Quintessence of Bangladesh paintings’ show at the Takamatsu Museum. Entrance JPY 300. Entrance free with a triennale passport.



A great many dignitaries were in attendance including ambassadors and diplomats and the music was great.



This is a worthwhile event but there’s a part of me that is uneasy about it simply because if the prefecture wishes to be taken seriously as a contender in the international arts arena, something it is well capable of doing, then perhaps there should be a separation of ‘cultural events’ like this one and more visceral - intellectual art performances/exhibits. With this exhibition the separation has disappeared and both are blurred. That’s not snobbishness; just my ten-cent’s worth after many years involvement with the visual arts.



In Sunport Takamatsu the wonderful facilities for international shipping are all but unused for over ten years now, and there’s really no more excuse for this being the case. If cobwebs could grow on port facilities and water they would here. Offering incentives & the attraction of reduced berthing fees international passenger carrying lines can be lured from the Yokohama/Kobe/Hiroshima run to visit. No doubt about that at all.


When you’re visiting there are guides and locations everywhere in the city particularly the station area and port areas to help you get around. Brochures for this event are available at all the same Takamatsu information centers and at the stations. I’ll be back soon with more about this and hopefully be able to give you the help you need to visit us. See you soon and stay cool.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Takamatsu


http://www.city.takamatsu.kagawa.jp/english/

http://www.my-kagawa.jp/special/visitor/kanko/index.htm

http://www.i-pal.or.jp/profile/topics/kagawas-welcome-card.html

  

In Takamatsu this summer we’re experiencing a rainy season with almost no rain. From ancient times, Kagawa has a long history of rain shortages and this year is shaping up to be another one, unless a typhoon blows through and dumps enough rain to fill up depleted dams. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.



In Ayagawa cho on the outskirts of Takamatsu City, there’s an art event, which is well worth finding and taking a look at.



I’ll be writing about the art festival itself in my blog next time later this month. But this week in the same area, I saw the timeless combination of kids & mud. The rice farmers fields they play in like this too, as between plantings the paddies get a great aeration from the kids’ feet. Not to mention the sheer fun of it all with kids squishing around, yelling and slinging mud at each other. Some of the girls seemed to be less interested in mud fights and pursuing more domestic ideas with mud pies.



After all this fun of course there is only two things left to do; get a thorough hosing down before getting in to a nice warm portable hot tub with all your pals. Most are out in a flash and back in the mud … and so the cycle goes on all afternoon. Oh, and of course lunch.



Not a Play-station game anywhere. Perhaps these are the experiences every kid needs & it sure looked great to me. So much so, I wanted to get in there too. I thought seriously about this for a full ten minutes, then settled for a bowl of noodles and a piece of great banana cake from one of the many stalls instead. One must think about one’s age I suppose.



The art festival and sundry activities run through 6/1~6/23. There is no admission charge and organized by an NPO (Kagawa Mountain Waves Arts Festival Committee)
http://www.monohouse.org/yamanami/



I’ll be back soon with more on the art festival itself which is a in part, a 7 kilometer trekking course in the local hills with art installations here and there. Cool stuff. See you then and let’s hope for some rain ..




  

Things are changing in Takamatsu and now that summer is almost here the Hula dance groups are out in force in the Sunport area near the Takamatsu Japan Rail Station. The “Aloha-fes” or Aloha Festival is a 3-day event in the second week in May each year for many amateur Aloha dance groups, and colorful it is indeed.

This year from my house, I could hear the slack-key Hawaiian guitar and slow “oi-oi-lei-lei” “huka-heiki-huka” chants wafting across the warm air from a kilometer away. Don’t ask, I have no idea what it means? But it did sound rather soft & inviting. Walking down for a look, I could quickly see there’s not much future in hula dancing as it’s a shaky business. (boom-boom)

One of the things I like about the Japanese is they don’t do things by half-measures. Once they take up a sport, interest or any activity at all, it’s 100% full-on. They dress the part, look the part and have all the right gear & hula dancing is no exception. Disappointingly, I didn’t see anyone in a grass skirt as I’d hoped … however I did think coconut-shell bras would have been a nicer, more authentic touch.

The area was packed; the colors screamed summer and the dancers looked nice even without coconuts.

A large retinue of grooming assistants, hairdressers and sales people with all the Hawaiian gear on sale were there and business looked brisk. This hula dance thing is pretty serious for these people and they don’t fool around. Many were it seemed, very professional, not that I’m any judge of hula dancing but they looked that way.

There will be a few more events like this in the summer and I’ll try to report on them before they start for you, should you be either in Takamatsu or coming here.

Takamatsu is a very friendly city and easy to get around. The City office promotes using bicycles and as an avid cyclist I approve of it. “one less car” as we cyclists say. When you come here, you’ll find rent-a-cycles available right outside the station. (well, actually it’s underground) there’s a huge and very cheap bicycle rental service with a minimum of fuss to rent and many places to park cycles throughout the city. A new map of great routes the city want to promote is about to be released. I’ll be writing about that next week for you. Until then …

 http://wikitravel.org/en/Takamatsu

http://www.city.takamatsu.kagawa.jp/english/


  

Takamatsu has been given two great and exciting events in the last week. The St. Patrick Day parade now looks like becoming an annual event, adding fun & color to the city’s busy
shopping arcade areas.



Started only two years ago through the initiatives and huge input of two local members of the Irish community, Messrs. Michael Bedlow & Shane Martin Coughlan. Both have been the talents and the driving force to get this event started and working well, and they’ve really done a wonderful job. Michael with his Celtic music groups, tireless efforts with dance instruction and Shane with his entrepreneurial skills.



The support group even made green St. Pat’s udon for the occasion. How creative ! Even though my name is Pat, there were no free samples unfortunately. So this is something to remember if you’re from out of town and here in Takamatsu on St. Pat’s day in March next year.



The other event of course was the opening ceremony for the
Setouchi Triennale Art Festival which started on the 20th of March
http://setouchi-artfest.jp/en/
This was a big opening event in the roofed outdoor auditorium area in Takamatsu’s Sunport.



Many dignitaries both local, Japanese government and foreign officials attended and all were asked to hold then wave small white flags at the appointed time. So when the band struck up I could hear the gentle rustle of hundreds of white flags. There was something very Japanese about this.



The ceremony culminated with the oddest-looking wind-blown instrument I’ve ever seen? Some bloke dressed in black with a dapper top-hat was riding on the back of this thing then huffed and puffed and finally blew it to officially open the event. He looked spiffy but very tired after the effort.



This thing made a sound like something coming out from the bowels of the earth and was a grand start to what promises to be a truly wonderful festival with many foreign artists and guests scheduled to arrive in the coming weeks, months.

I’ll be back next month with more news on art events in Takamastu.

“Spring is sprung, the grass is ris.
I wonders where them birdies is.”

So Ogden Nash’s poem humorously reminds us, so please do make an effort to come here and enjoy this wonderful art festival in Takamatsu.

              http://wikitravel.org/en/Takamatsu

http://www.city.takamatsu.kagawa.jp/english/

  

Walking around the Sunport area in Takamatsu this morning it was pretty cold and keeping warm was the thing most on my mind. Still, the preparations for the Seto Inland Sea Art Festival, or as it’s now called, ‘The Setouchi Triennale 2013’ are progressing and despite the cold, I could feel the latent expectation of both the Spring and the big event itself.



The beautiful concourse that runs from the ferry terminals to the Japan Rail Takamatsu Station is bedecked with banners advertising the event.



One lives in hope that the prefectural & city governments will have the common sense to invite the shipping companies plying the route from Yokohama, Kobe & Hiroshima overseas tourists be asked to berth in Takamatsu. This seems eminently sensible, should have been thought of years ago. Given that the new port has been open for over ten years, with still with no serious attempt to lure the lucrative ship cruise industry, save the one & same Japanese vessel ‘Pacific Princess’ that comes a few times each year. This is extraordinarily shortsighted and must be rectified by the government. Either that or we must give up complaining about falling business revenues.



The port are is undergoing some changes, parking areas are being built and the new floating ferry dock catering for the ferries going out to the islands is ready.



Of course we’re all excited about this and think the art festival will do both a lot for the economy and the image of Takamatsu as a destination for both international and domestic visitors, in and of itself. Something it certainly deserves to be.



Cathy and I will be covering the festival on this site so we hope you’ll both visit us and our related sites on Takamatsu.

              http://wikitravel.org/en/Takamatsu

http://www.city.takamatsu.kagawa.jp/english/

I’ll be back in a couple of weeks to tell you about a great exhibition I reviewed today entitled; “The World of Small”.

See you then and please stay posted.

  

Of course this is a wonderful age (sigh …) and it makes my heart happy to see the Japanese youth of today in full bloom.





I wish we’d had something like this custom when I was 20. We marked the age as 21 in those days and the only significant thing I remember was getting a cake in the shape of a key. The rather ham-fisted symbolism was of course; friends and I now had the key to life. Not very likely I’m afraid. Oh, and the right to drink alcohol and marry should we so desire.





“May you grow up to be righteous, may you grow up to be true. May you always know the truth and see the lights surrounding you. May you always be courageous, stand upright and be strong. May you stay forever young.” Bob Dylan





In Takamatsu as in every other city, the local government organizes festivities including large ceremonies in halls & auditoriums with speeches by dignitaries to help these young men and women realize they have become adults and I think this is very sensible and a wonderful custom.





The young men & woman dress up to the 9s and above for this event. Some in men’s traditional hakamas, the women almost always in colorful kimonos. Some amazing hairstyles too, for both sexes, it’s quite a sight …





I couldn’t help but notice the drinking in public, which of course is now something they can all do.




I also couldn’t help but notice the empty beer cans outside the high-powered Lamborghinis a couple of them were driving.





The ceremony is over for the year but of course it will be back on the second Monday in January next year should visitors wish to see it.


I wish them all well and every success in the future. I left the ceremony feeling wistful for all things we take for granted in youth. The good health, unbounded energy levels, innocence,

Bob Dylan described it best, so I hope you all stay forever young. I’ll be back with another blog for the city very soon. Until then, stay warm, well, influenza free and see you soon …

  

The Bon Odori Dance, held in the main street in Takamatsu is always a colorful and spectacular event. More’s-the-pity my camera battery died and I had to resort to my cellphone to do the job. The pictures aren’t the best I’m sorry. I can and usually do much, much better.



This is an annual event with Buddhist roots and held to welcome back ancestors for the three-day period Obon when hundreds of thousands of people return to hometowns to tend the graves of their ancestors and reconnect with the past.


The culmination of this is the dance itself and the spectacular fireworks display within the same short Obon period. It’s also a time when the seasons are changing and for me at least, I often sense a palpable change in weather at this time. Crickets can be heard in the evenings, the cicadas are quieter and the winds pick up particularly in the evenings and the nighttime falls earlier. A welcome respite to be sure as the sticky summer days are at times, too much.


So here’s how people unwind while back home. Dancing teams compete for prizes, company employees usually form these teams and each team has their own colorful uniforms, which are also judged for creativity and style.


The dances themselves have and are still evolving from the traditional forms, the traditional kimono wear. The young take the initiatives in these two areas and some of the creations and dance moves are very exciting indeed.



At the end of the street performances, the teams come to the Central Park to do the very same routines on stage in front of a panel of judges who decide the winners.


The Central Park is also full of street vendors’ stalls and even these are changing a little with the introduction of Turkish Doner kebabs.


Still, the traditional foods & snacks stalls are all still here as are the traditional goldfish scooping stalls, (金魚すくい) ‘Kingyo-sukui’ where one has to pick up a fish with a tissue paper scoop. Sometimes colorful rubber balls are also used for prizes. The paper gets wet and tears of course and makes things more difficult so we have to be quick!

I’ll be back next week with a very interesting blog on a little known but fantastic art museum in Sakaide. So until then, enjoy the fading days of summer if in the northern hemisphere or conversely, if in the southern hemisphere please look forward to warmer days.

  

And summer it is indeed with sweltering heat right across the archipelago. And as if the heat wasn’t bad enough, the debate on whether to restart nuclear power stations is also causing the entire nation to get hot under the collar. Personally I think there’s no other choice but to abandon nuclear, that is the old variety that utilizes uranium and develop sensible LFTR (thorium) reactors developed long before uranium reactor, infinitely safer and abandoned only because the weapons industry couldn’t utilize them for plutonium. China has been quietly building thorium reactors and will be online soon. I’ve been saying this for years.



So while the politicians in Tokyo blame each other, deflect responsibilities, muddle and dither, we all need some respite from the sizzling heat and there’s nothing better than keeping an eye out for one of Takamatsu’s many music festivals in summer.



Sunport by the Inland Sea is just the place to be and watch some of these events put on by the city and last week there was a flamenco festival.



I know zilch about flamenco but I could tell these dancers knew plenty, and their passion, timing and performances were exciting and we all responded with loud cheers.



The information for these events around the city in summer, the Dome, etc. are usually posted in the local papers, available at the Sunport Tower’s Information counter on the ground floor or available from the Tourist Information Center near the Takamatsu JR rail station.



We’ll have the next Seto Uchi Art Festival next year and I’m looking forward to covering that again with Cathy. 2010 was a runaway success and exceeded our wildest expectations in terms of tourist numbers and quality of exhibits.

I’ll be back with more about summer stuff next week so until then, keep cool!

  

Aye, the world is a changing place and Takamatsu held its very first St. Patrick’s Day on March 20th this year.



Of course one doesn’t have to be Irish at all to enjoy this and it’s lovely to see so many Japanese people playing a role and getting in to the spirit of things. Really encouraging, genuinely so and to gush; just wonderful!



My own background with 4 grandparents from Ireland and a name like Pat Scanlon earmark me as obviously Irish or at least descent, and yet I felt the people I saw here and in Tokyo at the very large St. Pat’s parade there, have the genuine Celtic spirit much more than I ever have. There seems to be a strong affinity for Celtic culture in Japan and particularly things Irish. And that’s not just the liquid refreshment variety either although there was plenty of that flowing at the Craic Pub afterwards.



The level of musicianship by some of these pipers, fiddlers, etc., is exceptionally high. I can’t accept that it would be that much better in Ireland. These Japanese players really work at this and they sounds great.
http://www.thecraic.biz/
The Shamrock pub in Takamatsu also had a do previously in the week.
http://twitter.com/#!/thebarshamrock



We have to thank Irishmen Mr. Shane Martin Coughlan president of Open Dawn and Mr. Michael Bedlow. lecturer at Shikoku Gakuin for their steerage and efforts to get this up and running. Shane has been a tireless worker for the relief of people in the Fukushima area, driving there multiple times using his own money, with much needed supplies last year. I’m proud to call him my friend.
Both worked their bottoms off getting this organized and we thank you!
http://www.opendawn.com/about/



So what does it mean to be Irish in Japan? Having the right spirit and above all having fun. Just look at some of these faces … The Japanese have really taken to St. Pats with annual parades in Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Chiba, and half a dozen more cities and even Okinawa. The Irish Embassy in Tokyo has all the relevant information and if you’re in Takamatsu next year in March, please come!
http://www.embassyofireland.jp



http://www.facebook.com/IrelandFestivalJapan
We even have green Udon. The Udon is of course the local specialty and made green for the day by using seaweed. It tasted … well, not too bad.



I’ll be back with a report of a very unusual art exhibition for you next week or so. Until then, bottoms up for St. Pat’s day, my day. (hic) Aye? I hear fiddle music in the distance …. The sound of clinking glasses and laughter. Time to away for a whiskey or three.
And keep all those cards ‘n letters and comments coming in …