Monday 16 August 2010

Paaarteeee!

Last week was our area's summer festival, held in the grounds of the boy's school. It's a surprisingly well run event, very typical of local festivals accross the country. There are stands selling traditional festival foods and games for the kids (and K) to play, dancing, karaoke and fireworks. My boys (yeah, all three of them) are obsessed with kingyou sukui, where they are given a paper scoop to try and catch as many little goldfish as they can before the paper disintegrates. J has honed his technique, and the guy running the stand had to ask him to stop or else there wouldn't be enough fish to last the evening...

The bag at the back belongs to W, he didn't manage to catch any but he was given two as a consolation prize. The front bag is J's - we are not sure how many he caught as they are difficult to count, but we reckon that there are more than twenty in there!

I was assigned to goldfish minder whilst the boys joined thir team for the Bon Odori. The different kodomokai (children's association, based on neighbourhoods) team up to dance in a competition. J and W waited with their friends, while K joined the dad's in downing beer and yakitori...


And then they were off...


I've tried to upload a clip of the dance here, not sure if it will work...




K is bringing up the rear with M perched on his shoulders. The women wearing green yukata (summer kimono) are our neighbourhood mums. Yep, it turns out that I could have participated, too, only no-one had told/asked me... why doesn't that surprise me?

Anyway, the kids had a fantastic time. M cried all the way home as she didn't want it to end.

5 comments:

  1. Wow all those goldfish, I hope you've got a nice size tank at home!!! We were given 3 last October and they were kept in the bug box, the kids kept praying to God that they'd die before summer so they could use the box!!! My reply of God doesn't work like that didn't go down well but they did die : (

    Miss M looks like she's having a fantastic time, she's not the only one who cries because they end. We don't have any bon festivals in this area, the kids would love to go though, all that dancing is right up their alley.

    Yeh why is it that we're never told/asked???

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  2. some seriously good sukui skills there!!

    Hub and Shou are at bon dancing at the hospital tonight! Hub is bashing the drums and no doubt Shou is causing chaos and perhaps trying to scab a ride in a wheel chair :D

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  3. Hehe wow he is very good at the kingyou sukui! M is so big now! I'm amazed at how much she has grown since the time that I saw her. Don't worry about not being invited. They were probably worried that you might outdazzle them! ;)

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  4. Looks like a fun evening! I love summer festivals here - really wish that I were still living in my old town in Toyama because the one there was so much fun.

    How are the fishies doing? I always feel so sorry for them and those teeny turtles - the only thing I don't like about festivals here...

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  5. Hi achan,

    Yes, we have a tank. It isn't big enough really, but I don't think they will all survive anyhow :-( We have quite a selection of bug boxes, however they are all occupied! xxx

    Hi GW,

    At the hospital?! I suppose there could be some spirits lingering there! xxx

    Hi Lorraine,

    She has really grown up in a year - I wish I could get you to take some more shots of her ;-) xxx

    Hi umebossy,

    Sadly, we are finding dead fish daily :-( We haven't had any turtles, although K keeps saying he wants to take the boys down to the lake to catch some. xxx

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