A Good Old Fashioned Bon Odori Festival!

Sometime between mid-July through August, the Japanese will close up shop for several days, maybe weeks, and head back to their hometowns to honor their families ancestors. The O-bon is a 500 year old Japanese Buddhist holiday where families get together, clean the graves of their ancestors and do what they really like to do...party.

The Japanese love to party. Any excuse to throw back a few chu-hi's, eat some meat on a stick is well worth marking red on the calendar. Just recently the Japanese took the day off for "Respect for the Aged Day" and I believe today is "Autumnal Equinox--Observed". The date is marked red in my Japanese calendar so it must be important to the Japanese. I just don't know if school is closed for this auspicious day as it was for the "Aged." I do know that "Sports Day" is coming up soon which unfortunately coincides with our Columbus Day Holiday. It's going to be a busy three day weekend in Japan. I think we'll avoid going to costoco that day!

Well, back to the O-bon Festival: These pictures are of mikoshi, a portable Shinto shrine which confuses me now since I thought the O-bon Festival is a Buddhist holiday. I guess the Japanese are not opposed to combining the two religions to which I say, "good for you!" The shrine holds the spirit of a diety which is then paraded through the neighborhood streets. Sometimes the shrine is left in a designated place, such as this one on the left, before it is returned to the shrine. The mikoshi can be of an elaborate design, gilded and painted such as the one on the right or like the shrine on the left, adorned only with carvings, banners and lanterns. The shrine is set atop two poles of which are carried on the shoulders of men and women, who rhythmically bounce and chant along the streets. As you can see, there is also the manner of dress which is proudly worn by men and women although I seriously doubt any American male would be caught dead wearing unless they are in college and are pledging to a fraternity.

Note the "gentleman" on the far right. He's packed with neccessities to get him through this day, including the lit cigarette dangling from his lips and what you can't see in his left hand, an opened can of beer.

Just to let you know that a Bon Odori is not just about mikoshi, it's about the fun and games. Zelig and his new friend, Mrs. Fitzgerald, tried to play the games but were quickly frustrated after realizing that these games were not designed to let you win.


Mrs. Fitzgerald not winning

Zelig and Mrs. Fitzgerald display their "prizes." It seems that everyone who plays this game walks away a "winner." Zelig's little fish are alive and well. They are now Goldmember and Dr. Evil. I don't know about Mrs. Fitzgerald's fish. I think they might be dead by now.