Aoi Matsuri and Lost in Transition

I wanted to see the Aoi Matsuri. It happens only once a year in one place and involves both Kyoto and the Heian Age. I swore to myself that I would go, even if I had to skip afternoon classes (nothing will ever allow me to skip my Japanese classes--I'll miss so much if I even skip one class!).

So I went.

I managed to have the best timing ever, exiting the station right as the parade was passing. There was a huge turn out--the thinnest part of the crowd was four people thick! It was also super sunny and I swear I could see people steaming--I can only imagine what the parade participants were feeling!

Since I arrived when the parade arrived, I was at the back of the crowd and at a disadvantaged place for photos. I tried my best though, even if I ended up with an inordinate amount of photos of the back of random strangers' heads.

So many people

Look at that awesome hat

And the birds of prey were circling as usual

What's this coming down the lane?

Beautiful women with sunshade!

Some important lady in a palanquin?

And now, women on horses!

LOOK. AT. HER. ROBES. Aren't they gorgeous?

This is the main woman of the show--the princess--wrapped up in 12 layers of kimono. She must have been dying inside, but you couldn't tell by her face. She's the main hero of the shrine ceremony as well.

After the parade headed to the shrine where htey would preform the ceremony, I meandered after. I didn't see anything (there were too many people), so instead I walked around the perimeter of the shrine and listened to the sounds of the flutes and the gongs.

I may have gotten lost, but I hold fast to the philosophy of "You're not lost until you're late" so I had a pleasant time.

I love Kyoto

And look at what is inscribed upon the walls of the train station

Look familiar?

I was schediuled to meet Sara (of A Tale of Two Sarahs fame), but there was a snafu involving wrong trains, dead cell phones, and confusing Japanese that led me to going to an exhibit on Heian Japan at the Kyoto National Museum alone. I decided to go to the exhibit because a) I love the Heian Age and b) Okaasan's parents gave me two tickets for free They've been doing htis for a while (I think they're members and getting this as a part of their member package or something), and I'm very grateful towards them. Anyway, the exhibit was a nice, if not a bit boring towards the beginning, and I headed back to the train station where I was run down by Sarah who had been waiting to apologize for being late (while I frantically apologized for not waiting longer). Thus we rode the train home together and then went and made purikura to document our story.

Kimono Fun!

Today Okaasan and I were talking about Kansai Gaidai's "Graduation Ceremony" for international students (only 16 days away, yikes!) and what I was going to wear to it. You see, I have this awesome idea. For the Coming of Age ceremony, I had neither furisode or hakama.

Well, I don't have a furisode, but that's okay! Okaasan and I decided to use a short sleeved kimono with hakama, the traditional clothing of female students for celebrations.

There are many different types of hakama, which are basically pants, but the one I'm wearing is the female version, so it's like a skirt covering or something. 

It was our first time, so the kimono is kinda messy, but with practice, we'll get better!

Of course, Hina wanted to join in the fun, so she got on her furisode as well.

 

After that, I brought down some of my haori (basically a short coat) and played around with Hina-chan.

It was fun.

The Lion Dance

I went to kabuki and might as well be walking on clouds today. Oh, how gorgeous it was!

I started out the day dressed in black, striding down the lane to go to the Toji Flea Market. I was stopped by an old lady and told that I looked “very cool”—I blushed and thanked her.

At Toji, the market was bustling. This may be one of the best Toji markets because it’s right before the giant holiday Boys’ Day and thus there are a lot of carp-themed things going around. I even saw a goldfish stand! I met up with Tilly there and we headed to the theater.

After the flea market, I changed into the haori that Okaasan Prime gave me. It fit me like a dream and really suited me, I thought. And I wasn’t the only one. While waiting in line, about six old ladies descended upon me, making me turn around and show them the haori. They complimented me greatly and I turned the color of my haori.

Look at all the people--this is only a tenth or less!

The seats were first come, first serve, so Tilly and I managed to get some of the most excellent seats—right next to the hanamichi (the long strip of stage that goes through the audience). This meant that I got an eye level look at costume knees when they passed me by.

Looking down the hanamichi

I liked the decoration on the lights

The performance was amazing. It is called Renjishi and is usually preformed by a father-son team. It details the dance of a father and son lion. The first act has costuming of just a scarf with a lion head and bells on it, but the final act is when both the father and the son are decked out in full kabuki regalia—you know, that giant bushy wig that could be a wig, could be an unconscious animal.

The "son lion" has bright red hair

"Son Lion" and "Father Lion"

 

And then, they did the hair tossing! Words cannot describe how awed I was by this. The kid was maybe eight years old and here he was looking as every bit professional as his father and not a single error was made! 

By the end, Tilly and I were just clasping each other in raptures of delight. It was perfect. It gave me a high similar to my museum sprees and I was walking on air.

Here's what seems to be a full version of the dance, though with an older son playing the "son lion" part.

 Afterward we and a few other friends walked around the Gion-shijo shopping district before I had to head home.

Two Months

Well, I've been in Japan for seven or so months now and I have around two months before my departure.

Wow.

I'm going to save reflections for a time when I'm not so busy (midterms have ended, but I still have a paper and presentation due soon!), but it's been amazing so far. Sure, I've had my ups and downs, but all in all, it's been pretty darn fun.

I apologize for the sparseness of the updates on Tokyo--I assure you, they are written and will be typed up soon--but, as I said before, school comes before pleasure and blogging. :)

So to tide you over until my next update, here's some pictures of Hina and I in kimono. We were talking tonight about the various kimono (I'm still looking for a furisode that fits!) and the family wanted to see what I bought at Toji. And so I showed them, clumsily attempted to get into one, and then Okaasan brought out her and Hina's kimono which Hina promptly demanded to be put in.