Oct 22 2005
Nihon Buyo (Traditional Japanese Dance)
There are so many traditions in Japan which I don’t know about or I have never had a chance to actually experience myself. For example, “Geisha”. I had understood “Geisha” in a totally wrong way until Craig taught me! I knew how they look like, yet misunderstood what they did and had no ideas about their lives and customs back in the days. There might be many differences between Geisha during the war and those who currently work in Gion, Kyoto and I am pretty sure that they had lots of rules and customs compared to these days. Read more…
Speed Tribes is an interesting look into the youth of 90’s Japan. Greenfeld finding himself bored with the usual stories in Japan is nearly run over by a Bosozoku (a motorcycle gang member [Bosozoku: literally translates as a tribe who drives violently against the law]) and there in the street he decided to tell not only their story but the story of youth in Japan in general.
Oct 23 2005
Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri 2005
Kana’s hometown of Kishiwada is famous all over Japan for their annual Danjiri Matsuri (Mobile Float/Shrine Festival). You can learn more about the historic roots of this wacky festival at the Kishiwada City homepage (http://www.city.kishiwada.osaka.jp/).
After seeing the trial pulls a week earlier we knew we were in for a treat during the actual Danjiri Matsuri. Unfortunately on Saturday (the 8th) it rained all day, which was tough on both the Crews and the spectators. However the sun came out on Sunday (the 9th) and we returned as well this time with the video camera to document this awesome hometown festival. Read more…
By Craig "hachiroku" Mercer • Adventures in Kansai (Videos) • • Tags: Danjiri, Kishiwada, Osaka (大阪), Video