January Yatai Stuffs.

I previously mentioned that January in Japan is full of festivals, and usually festivals go hand-in-hand with Yatai. These are some of the highlights, roasted nuts of some sort - tasty but get stale very quickly - best enjoyed hot as you walk around the festival. Next are Daruma dolls (達磨), which are hollow and roundish dolls modeled after Bodhidharma; the founder of the Zen sect of Buddhism. The eyes of Daruma are often blank when sold, one eye is filled in upon setting a goal and then the other upon fulfilling it. In this way, the Daruma is a good luck charm as well as a reminder of a particular goal. Next, this tasty mollusk was simmered with dashi (soup stalk) in its shell on an open grill - enjoyed with warm Saki - yum! Finally is Kuri Manju which is a wonderful baked bun stuffed with chestnut paste.

Dragon Dance #2

Kobe, Japan

Dragon Dance #1

Kobe, Japan

Dondo-yaki Ash

The ashes from the Dondo-yaki bonfire are collected, and one-by-one folks come up to the pile and fill bags with the now cooled, dark-black charcoal. The ashes are placed around the outside of homes and businesses to ward off evil spirits. I have seen many little piles of ash all around Shin-Nagata; these mounds would be a rather odd sight if I had not seen their origin.

Dondo-yaki Ablaze

Dondo-yaki どんどやき

Yesterday I attended a Dondo-yaki, which is basically a special bonfire held as part of the Oshogatsu celebration. According to tradition, a Kami named Toshitokujin, the goddess with responsibility for auspicious directions and happenings for the coming year (and when appeased, insures prosperity and an abundant harvest) visits during Oshogatsu, and brings with her Shōgatsu-sama, an “Honorable New year”.

One of the primary traditions linked to Dondo-yaki is the burning of New Year’s decorations such as kadomatsu and shimenawa, and objects such as Omomori, and Kakizome. The town or village gathers at some central place and burns all these sacred symbols for the greeting of the New Year, and by burning them it is believed that they are sent off to the Kami as gifts.

I intoduced Kadomatsu and shimenawa in yesterdays post, Omamori お守り are charms dedicated to particular Shintō and Buddhist deities. Kakizome 書き初 or “first writing,” is a term for the first calligraphy (Shodō) written at the beginning of a year. As the burning paper and ash flies high, it is believed that the person who created the calligraphy will be able to rise above their limitations and write even better in the coming year. I did my kakizome last wednesday so I hope my Shodō improves this year - I certainly smelled of smoke all day.

姫路神社 Himeji Shrine

I am discovering that Oshogatsu is basically a month long celebration, not just a one day event as the New Year is commonly celebrated in the States. Another Oshogatsu tradition are the decorations pictured here in front of the Himeji Jinja, called kadomatstu. A kadomatsu 門松, literally “gate pine,” is placed in pairs in front of homes, temples, and or business in late December, with the intention of welcoming ancestral spirits or kami and acting as temporary housing for them.

Also pictured here is a Shimenawa 標縄, "enclosing rope," which are lengths of sacred ropes made of rice straw, used for purification in Shintō. At New Years these are often replaced, being hung across the tops of gates or entryways to ward off evil. Often shimenawa are decorated with shide 紙垂, paper folded in a zigzag, or tassels (such as these); which also symbolize purification.

姫路護国神社

Himeji shrine for the remembrance of the patriots from the Western District, Hyogo Prefecture near the Shiromi stand park and Himeji Castle. The lanterns are setup for oshogatsu, The Japanese New Year celebration, and must have looked stunning at nightfall.

Unfortunately, Himeji Castle is under restoration until 2014 and is totally covered in scaffolding.

Dezome-shiki One Last Time

One last shot from the Kobe Dezome-shiki, some of the uniformed superiors oversee the last of the final demonstration. These taller towers of water are actually emanating from the fire-fighting ships in the port waters.

Fireman's Parade Display

The final event for the Dezome-shiki in Kobe was a demonstration by all of the different brigades. They aimed their fire hoses and water cannons, including those on the fire-fighting ships in the port, up into the air and showered icy bay water into impressively tall and graceful arches.

Dezome-Shiki

Dezome-shiki, the Fireman's Parade (or the New Year's parade of fire brigades as it is also called) is an annual event held throughout major cites in Japan. Perhaps the largest and most famous of these is in Tokyo, which showcases the acrobatic prowess of fire fighters atop tall wooden ladders. Kobe has a Dezome-shiki of its own and while I didn't witness any acrobatics of the type famous in Tokyo, this event was no less spectacular as a demonstration of the ability and expertise of Kobe's firefighters. The event (which took place at Meriken park) featured may booths, vehicles and vessels, and personnel from all over the area. The event centered around a training scenario that involved all manner of firefighting, rescue, and disaster skills. Pictured is a rescue helicopter performing some low altitude maneuvers, later two rescuers would repel from the helicopter and secure a rescue dummy for airlift evacuation.

Merry Umbrella Project

This is a small selection of 100 umbrellas printed with children's faces from around the world, from a public art project dubbed Merry Umbrella, at the earthquake memorial at Meriken park in Kobe. Larger projects than this one were held in Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Okinawa in hopes of spreading messages of peace. The project is the work of Koji Mizutani, who also took the pictures of the children featured on the umbrellas from Mianyang, China, in the wake of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, as well as in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, after the 2004 Sumatra earthquake, and in Kobe in the aftermath of the 1995 Hanshin Earthquake.

Mochitsuki

Mochi (餅) is a cake made of glutinous rice pounded into a paste-like consistency and molded into a small flat bottomed sphere. In Japan it is traditionally made in a ceremony called a mochitsuki. While eaten year-round, mochi is also a traditional food for shogatsu; often added to a simple but delicious vegetable soup called (o)Zōni. I had the chance to visit a traditional Japanese home in the Kobe mountains, where we had a mochitsuki with rice that was prepared on a kamado - pictured. A kamado is a traditional Japanese wood or charcoal fired earthen vessel used as a stove or oven.

Shogatsu

The Japanese New Year celebration, shogatsu, takes place from January 1-3. During shogatsu it is a tradition to visit a shrine or temple, and this first visit of the new year is known as hatsumoude, where visitors ask for safety, health, and good fortune. Many well-known temples and shrines are extremely crowded, as was Kobe's Ikuta shrine - pictured here.

あけましておめでとうございます。

Happy New Year! Japanese New Year's food is called osechi-ryori, which is traditionally served in jubako, lacquer boxes, such as this. Each dish and ingredient in osechi has a meaning, such as good health, harvest, happiness, and or long life. It's a Japanese tradition to eat osechi-ryori throughout the New Year's holidays which last until January 3rd. Traditionally, people finish cooking osechi dishes by New Year's Eve so that they have food for a couple days, and to provide a break for the long suffering and overworked house wife (or husband, but that would be very modern). Nowadays, people can also buy ready-made osechi dishes, or order them at department stores, grocery stores, or convenience stores. Hope your new years celebration was a good one, and the coming year provides joy, education, and growth.

German Christmas Market in Osaka

Visited the German Christmas Market in Osaka which is held under the Umeda Sky Building and offers an atmosphere of German-esque Christmas. The event was rather enjoyable, but crowded, and includes a 27-meter-tall Christmas tree decorated with about 100,000 lights that is surrounded by many quaint antique wooden shacks selling traditional handicrafts and various Christmas ornaments. Also on hand is a 110-year-old merry-go-round brought from Germany (pictured here in action), a manger with life-size figures, and fellow dressed in an elaborate German santa suit (Heilige Nikolaus). He might have been the real santa, I just didn't ask. The food was also enjoyable, warm Glühwein (a traditional composition of spices and red wine served hot) beer on tap, Lebkuchen (German gingerbread), sausage, roast ham, Tropfkrapfen (German donuts), and pretzels added to the festive atmosphere.

27-Meter Christmas Tree

Tree from the German Christmas Market in Osaka, a stage was erected next to the tree that hosted live music, carols, and even an abbreviated production of the Nutcracker Suite (pictured). The event is organized, in part, by the German Consulate General of Osaka-Kobe.

Kobe Luminarie Reflection

Another view of the front entrance to the first section of the Kobe Luminarie, this time in color and reflected in the side of a retail building. Hope you are not bored of the Luminarie yet, I did go overboard with taking photographs at this festival.

Kobe Luminarie Cables

This is the view from inside the "castle of light" that might give you an idea of how many cables are used to secure this grand structure.

Castle of Light

This is the central element in the Kobe Luminarie, which is like a castle of light, that the first section empties out into. The bottom of the photograph captured the screens of some of the thousands of cell phone cameras that everyone in Japan has, and uses on a regular basis - especially when special lights are involved.