"The effort to understand the universe is one of the very few things that lifts human life a little above the level of farce, and gives it some of the grace of tragedy." - Steven Weinberg

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Japan trip
Day 10 - 15th June - Aoba Festival; Koyasan (Part 3)

While in the previous places I'd been it was generally warm, sometimes uncomfortably so, Koyasan being in the mountains it was nice and cool. In fact it was one of only two times I had to use my jacket on the trip.

I secured myself a prime spot (sitting beside the drain/canal in front of Kongobuji) and watched the parade.


Orchestra playing awful music


A very American-style school band. The drum major isn't very impressive though (she never threw the toothpick in the air, for one), and the band being an tuned percussion band made its entrance boring. Why they got primary school kids to lead the procession I'll never know. Give me the priests with plaques anyday.


Band and float of the Peacock Goddess


Float of the Peacock Goddess


A modern touch - what a progressive festival!


Women in white. This was almost certainly the same song the car was playing earlier in the day (the one with the irritating "Ya ya!" - imagine hearing that over and over and over again in the songs that never end)


White women. Notice how well they dance


Notice that they're all quite old


Kids pulling a small float


Men with sticks, with monks behind


Old women with neck chains and bells


Old woman with blue hair. I saw another with faded blond hair.


OLs and kids


Small chariot with some holy item inside


Carriage with 4 lovely ladies flanking a kid in robes in the centre


Blur and reluctant-looking high school girls. My notes say there's an ang moh at the back in pants, but I can't spot him here.


Old women in blue and white


The kid who was being escorted by the 4 lovely ladies after dismounting


Old women in straw hats


As you can see, this festival is disabled-friendly

Going by the promotional materials (in the train and one website), the next group was one of the highlights:


Green women. Notice how some of them suck compared to the White women earlier. You will see why in the following photos:


Notice that most of the Green women you see here (and also in the video above) are young. This (bad dancing) is what happens when you haven't been taking part in the matsuri for decades.
Notice also that there're some older women (there were more at the back - this is the same tactic as putting your best goods in the most visible places) - I'm very sure there aren't enough young women who are both able and willing to perform in this role. On the day itself I estimated that in the Green group 40% were young and 10% were nubile.


This is funky. This is certainly the guy (Kukai) whom the festival honours. The globe in the palm of his hand was spinning at some times, giving him a stigma.


Festival Queens

Now that everyone had arrived, they played Ring a Ring o' Roses.


Around we go, to the festival theme song. You might notice that some opportunistic photographers and I had mounted the stage after it'd been cleared. We were of course shooed off later.


Heya!


Journey to the West - carbon free?

[Addendum:

"the words in the cloud "STOP idling!!"
the words below: "Let's turn off the engine during parking to protect the environment""]


Some monks and many musicians then filed out from Kongobuji, conveniently opposite the road.


The abbot followed, with a giant umbrella shading him from the non-existent sun.


"I now invite the abbot to declare this festival closed". Notice that under her festival coat she had on leggings and platform heels.

At this point I had to visit the washroom which was, conveniently, opposite the road. Yet, finding the urinals swarmed by little boys, the cubicles filled with old women and faced with a Jap-style toilet, the urge passed. When I came out I found I'd only missed the abbot's speech to the tolling of the temple bell.

Finally was the climax of the festival:


Flying mochi. This was taking from across the road, ergo the jerks. People were holding their shirts out in front of them to catch the mochi.


More flying mochi. I moved in closer, but realised the potential damage to my camera from flying mochi exceeded the fun of taking a movie from a closer range.

Many people got more than one mochi, so I picked one up just after it bounced on the road.


Worst mochi in the world - it was rock hard and remember that they bounced on the road. I didn't see anyone eating them, but one guy gestured with a nibbling gesture so I assumed they were meant for human consumption.