Tokyobling's Blog

Amezaiku – Kurayami Matsuri

tokyobling — Sat, 18 May 2013 04:45:39 +0000

Not the first post on the fantastic Kurayami festival in Tokyo’s western Fuchu City, and not the first post on the very skilled traveling candy artisans, but I couldn’t pass up on this man! He is one of the amezaiku (飴細工), or sugar craftsmen, who puts up their booths in festivals all over Japan. With a pair of scissors and some simple wooden tools they create animals and creatures out of colored soft sugar. This guy was certainly one of the better I have seen and was popular with both adults and little children. If you are in Tokyo and want to see some really good amezaiku at work there’s a shop near Sendagi station, at the Dangozaka. Their creations are too beautiful to consider eating though!

Kakunodate – Samurai Houses

tokyobling — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:48:15 +0000

Kakunodate, a small town in northern Akita prefecture is famous for two things – their cherry tree lined river bank and their well preserved samurai houses, bukeyashiki. There’s quite a few surviving samurai houses spread around the country but nowhere is there so many as here in Kakunodate. Most of them are still privately owned by the old samurai families but several have been opened to the public or serve as cafes, restaurants or shops. It’s a great chance to see how the warriors of Japan lived in private. It’s easy to get to the city since it’s a stop on the Akita shinkansen line, right between Morioka in Iwate Prefecture and Akita City.

Kurayami Matsuri – Michikiyomegi

tokyobling — Thu, 16 May 2013 04:45:18 +0000

Often when visiting festivals the layman (like me) will be thoroughly baffled by almost all the activities taking place. The larger festivals have many rituals and ceremonies, different people have different roles to play, sacred objects are paraded, water is strewn, banners are raised, chants are begun and abruptly ended. Seemingly important parades end in what can only be described as the middle of nowhere and out of order chaos suddenly erupts as people are suddenly filled with some urgent purpose to stride somewhere else in shining regalia, only to seemingly change their mind and go for a soba break with the lads from the office. In short, most of everything that takes place at a festival is bewildering confusion. It doesn’t usually help to ask other bystanders. Many times have I had to explain (even with my basic understanding) what is going on to little old Japanese ladies that have lived next to the shrine all their lives. Sometimes I am even correct! I don’t even ask the people involved anymore – most low level participants have a sketchy idea of themselves of what is going on, and the people who do know are far to busy to have time to talk to a mere tourist. But every now and then you just stand in a street corner looking lost and some old man will stumble out with a half empty bottle of sake and explain, in mind numbingly detail just what is going on, and suddenly all the pieces fall together and the missing link between half a dozen ceremonies and costumes and chants are processions appears right in front of you.

Something similar happened to me on the second day of the Kurayami Matsuri in Tokyo’s western Fuchu City, when I watched the Michikiyomegi procession get ready and finally march out of the grand Okunitama Shrine (大國魂神社), chanting while beating the ground rhythmically with large bamboo sticks. But I’ll save that story for another blog post, in the mean time I’ll let you enjoy this bewildering moment in peace. If you do happen to be able to connect all the dots here, don’t write too many spoilers in the comments please!

Fanta Ume – Plum Flavored

tokyobling — Wed, 15 May 2013 04:36:09 +0000

I am a sucker for new soft drinks, and as much as I try to stay away from commercial stuff I can’t help but following all the new flavors put out by Pepsi and Fanta. Here’s a shining new star in the Fanta family – the Fanta Ume. Ume is the Japanese plum that is inedible to humans as a fruit but delicious when properly prepared, for example as pickled sour umeboshi or as a super sweet umeshu, ume liqueur. This one however is not sour at all, but sweet, very similar to the Apple flavored Fanta. Easily one of the best Fanta flavors ever, I give it four and a half fruits of five possible – it would have scored perfectly if it had been a bit more sour or even vinegary in taste. Still, it will be hard to go back to normal boring orange or grape Fanta after this.

By the way, I really wish Fanta would sponsor me for writing about these things. One can dream…?