"I really miss Bon Dancing here in Japan in the summer time. It is one of my favorite things in life."
1. hop, skip, and jump: very close
2. kingyo sukui 金魚すくい: a traditional Japanese game in which a player scoops goldfish with a paper scooper
3. Kaseyama: A small 'mountain' in the Hiyoshi Village neighborhood of Kitakase, Kawasaki.
TRANSCRIPT
"One of my favorite things about living in Japan
is attending Bon Odori festivals in the summer. This is something that we have gone two years without due to the pandemic.
We live in ‘old’ Hiyoshi Village, which is in the city of Kawasaki actually, just ‘a hop, skip, and jump’ away from the Yokohama border. Now, it’s primarily known as Kitakase.
The first time I attended a Bon Odori festival was in 1997 at Kaseyama, a small mountain or hill, where Yumemigasaki Dobutsu Koen is located. Kaseyama was supposed to be the capital of Japan, and a castle was supposed to be built there by the samurai, Ota Dokan, but he had a bad dream about it, and thus decided to build the capital somewhere else in present day Tokyo. There is even a local bon odori song in his honor."
(song)
"Bon Odori actually originated in China. There, it was called the ‘Ghost Festival’ ... in which ghosts and spirits, including those of deceased ancestors, come out from the underworld. People pay respect to them through music and dance.
What I really love about Bon Odori is the atmosphere of it, the sound of the Taiko drums. We live close to Kaseyama, so it’s easy to tell when the festivities get started (sound of Taiko drum). We put on our yukatas and made our way up the hill, or “mountain”, with the other locals as twilight sets it. (music) There was a cool breeze; I remember back then that summer nights actually cooled off some. (music)
Sadly, the old locals of our neighborhood are dying off and being replaced by new residents who are not really familiar to the neighborhood’s traditions. Some of them complain that the taiko drumming and people are too loud." (footsteps)
"Some of the activities include games like ‘kingyo sukui’ or ‘goldfish scooping’, where the neighborhood children try to catch a goldfish using a paper scooper. It’s fun watching them concentrate so hard on this task just to get a prize that they will get bored of in a day or two. It's all part of being a kid. I was more focused on the music, dancing, hanging lanterns, drinking, and overall atmosphere." (musical montage)
Selected Music:
