9-15 May 2018. From the outside it looks like you’re entering a dark tunnel that goes on forever. Even though it’s a grey day, and the rain is pouring down, it’s still bright enough outside that the glare momentarily prevents you from seeing into the interior.
It’s raining. I mean really really raining,
but I know I’ll go nuts hanging out at the hostel all day so I make my dripping way to Nishiki Market – a narrow street of five covered blocks lined with small businesses. Most are selling food and it’s easy to see why Nishiki is known as the kitchen of Kyoto. On stepping into that tunnel a whole wonderful world is revealed. The light comes from many sources and in many colours, not least of which is the multi-coloured stained glass panels that form the peaked roof.
Nishiki Market began life in the 1300’s as a wholesale fish market. Over the years it morphed into a retail market selling primarily foods, but also various other goods. There are hundreds of shops and restaurants, many of which have been in the same family for generations, and the market is now a long-standing fixture of ordinary life in the city.
It is crowded and busy. There are a few tourists like myself but clearly this is where the people of Kyoto come for food and groceries. I love that. I love that I’m in a place where people go about their ordinary lives in such a different way than I’m used to, and I get to see it. I get to see where we are different, and I get to see where we are the same.
I’m aware of a continuous humming as people chat with each other and place their orders. The hum is regularly interrupted by shopkeepers crying out their wares. By Japanese standards it’s downright noisy.
There is a cornucopia of food, some of which I recognise, most of which I don’t. Like these octopus:
I’ve never seen octopus so small, but still it’s obvious they’re octopus. What I find out later is that the head is stuffed with a quail’s egg in place of its brains. I find this both fascinating and appalling. Apparently they taste pretty good though I’m not brave enough to try one.
If you want to you can buy roast quail, or sparrows on a stick,
which I imagine might be a bit like eating chicken wings. I’m surprised to see them, and yeah, a bit appalled by them too. It reminds me of seeing all the tiny birds for sale at the markets in Laos where food is scarce and because of the war people got used to scavenging in the bush for anything even remotely edible. Perhaps eating sparrows in Japan is a hangover from the very lean years after WWII. I wish I’d tried them.
These people are carefully choosing a particular type of tea from the many available,
and this woman is selling Japanese pepper, which I only know because the sign is in English. The pepper, with its refreshing aroma and spicy taste is commonly used in Japanese cooking thus creating numb tongues all over Japan.
I come to the prawn tower. Prawns are a favourite of mine, and clearly also a favourite of many people in the market that day. I wait my turn and buy a skewer.
Alas they are a little over-cooked so a bit chewy. I’m disappointed.
Moving along I see fish and meat on skewers being attentively and gently roasted over hot coals,
and in other places there is fish ready for purchase.
There are so many varieties of food being cooked that I don’t recognise. What I do recognise is the care with which the cooking is done. And the years of practice and tradition behind each dish, so that the person cooking moves with a kind of flowing grace attending carefully and equally to each small portion.
I find a whole shop of cuteness-overload,
another overflowing with dishes,
and a shop specialising in chopsticks.
Many people in Japan have a personal pair of chopsticks, which come in a wide variety of designs. Sparkling like Christmas ornaments, or decorated with cartoons, floral patterns, tartan, traditional masks, or Hello Kitty. The variety is endless in shapes, colours, and patterns, and choosing chopsticks for oneself or as a gift is serious business. There are four sizes – men’s, women’s, children’s and extra long for serving. You can get your chopsticks engraved with your name, or you can pay $300 for a titanium pair.
Is it jam or pickles?
This I know is pickles.
It’s one of the many baskets of pickles at Uchida Tsukemono where there is a constant crowd of people waiting to buy.
Since most of the food is unrecognisable to me, I randomly choose this, in part because it looks good:
I have no idea what it is. It’s good but not outstandingly delicious. There’s an option to have cheese sauce on it. I wish I’d chosen that. I think it would have made all the difference.
At Nishiki you can buy anything food-related: fresh or dried seafood, tofu, mochi, ice cream, donuts, candied kumquats, cookware, knives, dishes, and sushi. There are also shops that sell wooden sandals, beauty products, umbrellas, or wine, or flowers, and so much more that I can’t identify. I walk from one end to the other taking it all in. It seems so quintessentially Japanese to me – the cleanliness, the soft voices, the sense of purpose, and the attention to detail, not to even mention five blocks filled mostly with food I don’t recognise.
Eventually, when I’ve had my fill, I go back out into the rain and make my soggy way home.
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I first become aware of it when I notice a flyer on the notice board in the hostel. I’m attracted to the colourful photograph of a man on horseback dressed in voluminous bright robes. Something like this:
What is this? I look closer and discover there’s to be a festival. I immediately ask the hostel staff about it – what, where, when? I get all the details and on the day make my way to a spot on the parade route.
I ask which side of the street is best and two young women kindly tell me to stay where I am. I find myself a little spot a bit down the street from them. The crowds are starting to gather. A few minutes later they come to find me and tell me that they were wrong and that the parade will be far better viewed on the other side of the street. So kind of them! It would have been very frustrating watching the parade with cars going by in front of me.
I cross the street and find a spot by the curb and wait.
Then it starts: the Aoi Matsuri, one of Kyoto’s three main annual festivals. Aoi is the Japanese word for hollyhock, the leaves of which were believed to protect against natural disasters.
In the distance I can see it coming: the retinue that has been sent on an errand from the Imperial Palace first to the Shimogamo Shrine and then to the Kamigamo Shrine to make various rituals to appease the deities.
The origin of the festival dates back some 1500 years to a time when disastrous weather ruined the crops and epidemics spread throughout the country. The cause was believed to be divine punishment. Thus was begun the annual ritual at the shrines to pacify the Kamo gods. At the shrines the deities are honoured and entreaties made for their continued support. Some three hundred years after its beginnings, during the Heian period, the emperor began to include a lavish, but solemn parade from the palace to both of the shrines, with all the nobles and important dignitaries of the time in attendance.
Slowly the parade draws towards me. There are men on horseback,
each representing a participant of the original retinue – the Chief of Police, the Judicial Chief, or delegates from local government. Everyone in the parade, dressed in traditional Heian period clothing, is a local person playing the role of one of the original Imperial retinue.
Overseen by the Ritual Dedication Officer, many people carry gifts and ritual offerings that will later be given to the gods.
Sacred horses are led through the parade and supervised by the Equine Official with his bow and sheaf of arrows proudly displayed.
Now at last I can see the first of the ox carts coming. I make a quick dash to the middle of the road to get a shot of it head on, then dash back to the curb. Someone shouts at me You’re not allowed to go on the road! I shrug and say I know. Next thing there’s a policemen or some crowd control person right next to me (how he got so quickly through the crowd all around me I don’t know). He admonishes me in Japanese. I look suitably contrite and he leaves. Suddenly all the people nearest me are laughing. I laugh too. It’s not the only time in Japan that I find people are amused by someone who dares to break the rules.
The ox carts were used to carry the Imperial Envoy.
In the parade there are Officers of the Imperial Guard hand-picked to perform song and dance routines as part of the rituals at the shrines for the gods, and others chosen to play music. Another carries the Imperial Edict.
And in the middle of the parade, in the place of highest honour, rides the Imperial Messenger chosen to read the Imperial Edict at the shrine altars.
Scattered throughout the parade are large flower umbrellas.
Behind the men come the women of the court: noble women, ladies-in-waiting, and priestesses. Servants hold umbrellas to shade them and to signify their rank.
and finally comes the crowning glory of the parade – the Imperial Princess, serving as a ceremonial priestess. These days she is played by an unmarried woman chosen from Kyoto’s elite families, and dressed like all the others in the traditional style of the Heian court. For her it means a twelve-layered kimono.
She is followed by her ladies-in-waiting, sacred maidens,
and musicians.
At the rear of the parade is a second oxcart.
Two oxcarts, four cows, thirty-six horses, and six hundred people walk slowly by. Except for the distinctive rumble of the wheels of the ox carts, and the sound of the occasional car going by on the far side of the street, it is silent; a slow silent reverential march. It’s a parade of sacred ceremony, of pageantry and solemnity, of an Imperial Retinue to the gods so grand that surely the gods must listen and grant their wishes. What a wonderful thing it is that this tradition is kept alive.
From the notes I made on the day:
The parade finished in plenty of time for me to get to the Geiko (Geisha) show at Pontocho Theatre. The first half was almost like a pantomime and wonderfully entertaining even though I had no idea what they were singing or saying. The costumes were beautiful but no photography was allowed. There were many very slick and clever changes of scene, and overall it was a very professional production. The second half consisted of several individual dances by Geiko and group numbers by the Maiko (apprentice Geiko). The individual dances were just far too slow and subtle for me but I loved the rest of it, and was very glad I went.
The plan then was to get the subway to a street about half way between the two shrines where the parade was going and watch it again. I wish I’d stuck to the plan. According to the schedule the parade was to arrive at the first shrine at 11.40 and leave at 2.10. I misremembered and thought it would leave at 2.40 so decided I had time to go to the first shrine and get some shots of the crowds and the atmosphere and maybe see some of the ceremony in the shrine. Of course by the time I got there it had left for the next shrine so I set out to follow it walking very fast for a long time.
It was good to see how well I could do and how I could deal with the pain that arose – not taking it too seriously, but at the same time paying attention to how I was walking, how I was using the muscles, concentrating on engaging the glutes more, and then the pain subsided. I’m starting to get really fit. I spent a long time walking along a main road in the heat. Not fun but at least I was getting a good workout. I came to a river with broad grassy banks and many people relaxing in the shade of trees, or fishing in the river. I could have slowed down, joined them, relaxed for a bit, but no I had to catch the parade. At least now it was a shady side street, and suddenly I could see the end of the parade in the distance. It spurred me on a bit but finally common sense prevailed. How much did I really want to see a parade I’d already seen? My plan, had I stuck to it, was to try to see something of the ceremonies at either of the shrines, but it was too late for that. Hot and tired, I probably walked six or more kilometres and now I had to figure out a way to get home. I didn’t know where I was, so I couldn’t put a destination into the phone and I didn’t know the name of the nearest train station. I suppose I could have put in the name of the hostel but I didn’t think of that. Anyway I had a paper map and figured it out from that. It was more walking to the nearest train station, but I eventually made it home and collapsed in a hot sweaty exhausted heap.
Next post: A day at Arashiyama
All words and images by Alison Louise Armstrong unless otherwise noted
© Alison Louise Armstrong and Adventures in Wonderland – a pilgrimage of the heart, 2010-2019.
Such an alien and in many ways strange society, yet endlessly fascinating. 🙂 🙂 I’d struggle to eat most of that food and the chopsticks store made me smile. A very natural thing to have though, when you think about it. 🙂 Superb photos of the parade, Alison.
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Thank so much Jo. I’m really not that adventurous when it comes to food, though I had some truly fabulous meals in Japan and overall enjoy Japanese food. I wish I’d had a guide at the market so I could find out what all the different foods were. The parade was amazing!
Alison
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I love the parade. Like the Spanish, the Japanese love the pageantry and continue those centuries-old traditions. It was worth going out into the road as you got a fabulous shot of the oxcart. The market looked fun too. Best not to try eating anything you aren’t sure of. These are amazing posts. Happy New Year to you and Don. xo
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Thanks so much Darlene. I’d love to see some Spanish festivals. I can only imagine what they’d be like from the festivals we went to in Peru and Mexico with their Spanish roots. They strongly hold onto their culture and traditions there too. The market was fun, but I wish I’d had a guide to tell me what everything was.
Happy new year to you too. May 2019 be all you could wish for!
Alison
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Fascinating & so colorful!
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Yes it was – the colour of the costumes had me just about drooling. Soooo beautiful!
Alison
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Wonderful! Thanks so much for this inspiring inside view of Kyoto’s Kitchen and the Hollyhock Festival! I enjoyed so much reading andviewing your awesome pictures. Carsten
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Thank you so much Carsten. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Both the market and the festival were so fascinating, and I loved the outfits of all the people in the festival – such beautiful colours. I’m like a magpie with colours. It’s what attracts me every time. I know it’s a big part of why I like your paintings so much. Your use of colour is wonderful.
Alison
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You are welcome, Alison! Your blog became my favorite here on wordpress although it is not about painting. But your eye for details in your photos and descriptions is wonderful and inspiring to me. I did travel a lot in my life but the last 5 or 6 years I was bound to this place most of the time. Reading your blog I always get the travel bug.
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Your account makes me want to go back to Kyoto. So many things I missed first time round, but then I was only in Japan for a week. Definitely a place that warrant more time… Great photographs as always!! And sometimes you have to break the rules to get those special ones…
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Thanks so much Lieve. I broke the rules a few times in Japan – and got some great shots as a result. Nothing too terrible happened 🙂
I only had 5 days in Kyoto and it felt really rushed. Fortunately I’ll be back there for 2 weeks in March – this time with Don. I’m really looking forward to exploring some of the more out-of-the-way places.
Alison
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Hi Alison, I tried to post the comment below to your site. I just read the Kyoto and Hollyhock post. For the first time I was asked for a password, ostensibly by wordpress… it led me to a dance about verifying. Then I wwas warned about a trick site that lay ahead. Hmmmmm. I looked back and where I normally just put my name, e-mail addy and website URL there were oddities as it autofilled it. Know what this is? On another tack, might I ask what camera you use and what processes that give you such vibrant colours and clarity in your photos? Keith
Comment was: Once again, Alison, your clear visual writing and fab fotos have given me a cool interlude during my morning ‘work’ time. Thanks for ongoing fascinating accounts and both written and visual essays.
________________________________
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I see you found a way to comment eventually. I’m glad you told me about this because I had exactly the same problem trying to comment on another WP blog a few days ago. What it confirms for me is something I already know – every now and then WP just goes a little poopy. With time ( a few hours, a few days) it sorts itself out.
Thank you so much for your kind comment. Much appreciated. Sometimes I have trouble finding my voice. Don read the first draft of this post and commented that there was nothing of me in it. Obviously I had to dig a little deeper.
Re photography – I have a Panasonic mirrorless G85 and a wide angle lens and a zoom lens. All post-editing is done in Lightroom and Photoshop both of which I love. They turn a dull snapshot into (hopefully) something worth looking at. Also I’m like magpie with colour – it’s the thing that attracts me the most. Well colour and the exotic. When they’re combined I’m kind of silly with joy.
Alison
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As always, you make me feel like I’m there with you and your pictures are beautiful. I’m hoping Annie and I can get to Japan in 2011. It’s been well over 40 years since I spent time there. For me, Kyoto is one of the most spiritual cities I’ve visited.
Wishing you and Don a happy and healthy new year.
Steve
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Thank you so much Steve. It’s the best compliment. I loved Kyoto, and Japan. I’m so glad to be going back – 2 weeks in/around Kyoto in March – this time with Don. I only had 5 days there so it felt very rushed – there’s so much to see and experience there.
Happy New Year to you and Annie too. May 2019 be all you could wish for!
Alison
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Thinking of a market that has been in business since 1300 has me imagining if the walls could share the stories of the centuries. Perhaps in some ways the traditions of foods may be similar. What a great way to spend a rain soaked day.
The festival is so colourful I almost felt as if sunglasses were required. Gorgeous photos as always Alison.
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Thanks Sue. Oh if only those walls could talk eh! So much history in that market. I’m not sure I’d have gone if not for the rain but I needed to find something indoors to do and museums just didn’t appeal.
The festival was really special if only for the gorgeous outfits. I do wish I’d seen something of the crowds and rituals at the shrines, but it was partly the crowds that kept me away. 20/20 and all that – if I’d gone directly by taxi from the geisha show to the farthest shrine I’d probably have been there early enough to get a good spot to see it and photograph.
Alison
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Two fantastic events. So glad you are going back to Kyoto with Don and that you get to experience it together, in a different kind of combo than your usual routine. That will be interesting!
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They were definitely both fantastic events – so glad I went to both, but also very much looking forward to seeing Kyoto and surrounds with Don. We’ll have 2 weeks so we’ll not be so rushed. We have an airbandb right in Gion.
Alison
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How lovely! Looking forward to reading all about it.
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There’s something about Japan’s love for its own heritage that is heart-warming. Here they are with all the mod cons and yet, bang in the middle of a modern city, you have these festivals with costumes and customs dating back hundreds of years.
There are some well-wishers (cynics would call them snowflakes) in Europe, where such customs are still alive, who’d like not to have them as they’re not ‘modern’ or could be disrespectful for newcomers. A school in my hometown gained nationwide popularity for doing one such thing for a nativity play, when Jesus was replaced with “virtue” (the words rhyme in Italian) lest it offended some of the non Italian-born pupils. The best bit was that I remember chatting to a Moroccan lady whose 3 kids loved the nativity play, for they got to act like shepherds and got panettone at the end! In Italy and Japan and anywhere else, those who believe will believe it, those who won’t will simply have good fun.
Having said that… quails are yummy! Quail eggs too…
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I *love* that the old festival traditions are kept alive! I think it’s so important for community, for fun, for joy. I’ve seen it all over Latin America, and yes there’s a religious component that may be not be the religion of all but in Latin America anyway it’s such an inseparable blending with the ancient worship of Pachamama that everyone is included. I think there are still many festivals in various European countries too? I’ve seen bits and pieces online of festivals in Italy/Poland/etc, and the Morris Men in England. Oh yes, In Italy you still have those towers of men don’t you? And the horse races (?) in the square in Sienna?
IMO saying virtù instead of Gesù is a good example of taking political correctness too far.
Japan is amazing for festivals. Apparently there are 20,000 per year! I was only there for 18 days and I went to five festivals (two flower festivals and three shrine festivals).
I can imagine eating, and enjoying quail. It doesn’t seem foreign to me. It’s the sparrows that took me aback a bit. I’d not expected that.
Alison
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I can’t help wondering if you happened to go to Japan when there were a lot of festivals, or are there just a lot of festivals? 😉 I can easily understand the origin of a festival in ruined crops and hopes for better weather, but Hollyhock leaves? That’s strange. That flower has a very cottage-y association for me, nothing at all mystical. The leaves are a beautiful shape though…
I love the costumes! Parades are wonderful, but I was surprised you dared to jump out in front of the ox cart, and relieved that everyone laughed after the police chewed you out. Great photo too! It’s so incongruous seeing those gorgeous flower umbrellas and kimono-clad women against the backdrop of bland 20th century streetscapes. But that’s Japan, isn’t it? I love that it was quiet – you can see the concentration on the faces, very unlike the last parade i saw, a loose and informal local Christmas parade where the kids and grownups were all smiles. I respect the ability to gather yourself in and be still, even while parading in what must be some uncomfortable costumes. Fascinating, Alison, thank you for showing this festival, and going the extra km’s! .
I also love the two photos of the prawn and meat on skewers sellers with their outstretched hands. What a dizzying experience Japan must have been – so many impressions!
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There are apparently about 20,000 festivals per year in Japan! They love their festivals, and they love to dress up – hence the passion for the “Fruits” of the 90’s, and the great love of cosplay these days. It’s hard to miss festivals in Japan. I was there 18 days and went to five! Mind you, I do seek them out because I love them.
I also loved the costumes! Such gorgeous colours! The ox cart was still quite a distance away when I took the shot, and I was out and back in a flash. It was worth it 🙂
This was a very different parade than the raucous wild parades of the Kurayami Festival in Tokyo – huge crowds, constant drumming and shouting. An entirely different experience.
I too thought about what the people went through in the Aoi parade – walking slowly for hours in the heat wearing layers and layers of clothing, wearing straw shoes, carrying heavy objects. It must have taken much focus and commitment. I also thought of the animals. I hope they watered them along the way.
Thanks re the photos. Yes, Japan was a dizzying experience – soooo much more than I expected. We’re going back for 2 weeks in March – looking forward to that!
Alison
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What an interesting and absorbing post. Being a bit of a foodie, I would have loved that food market.
….and the chopstick shop – so interesting.
Your photos are excellent and really bring the scenes alive for us readers.
Thank you for sharing such interesting sights that I would never get so see in person. 🙂
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Thanks so much Vicki. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I too was intrigued by the chopstick shop. I’d not seen one before. I also saw them in China.
I’d love to have been at the market with a guide so I could have known what everything was, and tried more things. Even sparrows!
Alison
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Alison, your photos of Nishiki market bring back such great memories. And what an amazing parade! Sounds like an exhausting day but I love that you were so engrossed in the experience you wandered off but found your way home. Japan never disappoints with its alluring food, culture, ceremony, and labyrinth transportation system to get you where you need to go. Hope you and Don are doing well! I’m catching up on my reading and looking forward to combing through your recent posts! xo, Kelly
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Thanks Kelly. Nishiki was a great experience – so much to see and puzzle over. And the parade, although solemn and slow, was a gorgeous experience of Japanese culture and tradition. I love that they continue their ancient traditions with such dedication. And yes, I agree – Japan never disappoints.
We’re both well. Hope you guys are too. From FB it looks like you’ve been having some awesome adventures!
Alison
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Ha, leave it to you to find a festival, Alison. I think that the fates almost decree it! And forget the silver spoon. Who needs one when you can have a $300 pair of titanium chopsticks! 🙂 Great photos and info as always. –Curt
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Thanks Curt. I do think the fates decree that I find festivals! As well as that I actually go looking for them 🙂 Checking out what festivals are on is always part of my research. Those chopsticks! $300! Well if you have that kind money I suppose you may as well spend it on chopsticks as anything else.
Alison
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Ah, work is involved. 🙂 I have titanium pots for backpacking, given their super-light weight. They are more expensive than stainless steel, aluminum, etc., but not $300 expensive! –Curt
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It looks like some of the things that you found at Nishiki Market was quite different from what I saw when I went there. Maybe it’s because of the seasons (you went in spring and I in autumn), but I could have missed seeing some parts of the market though. Aoi Matsuri looks very interesting. I like the bright colors of the costumes they wore, and the overall elegance. It’s good that it wasn’t raining on that day!
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I really wish now that I’d had a guide at Nishiki so I knew what I was looking at. There was so much there that puzzled me.
I loved the parade – elegant is exactly the right word! And yes, a very good thing it wasn’t raining that day.
Alison
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You got to see a few nice festivals in Japan. I really like the photos both of the market and the parade in this post.
How much rain did you experience? We are planning to go in June but this is the rainy season. I was just wondering what to expect.
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Thanks so much Jeff. Japan has about 20,000 festivals per year! In 18 days I went to 6! In previous comments I’d said 5, but I remembered another. Four were shrine festivals, and two were flower festivals.
I had only the one day of rain. I was in Japan April 27-May16
Alison
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20,000 festivals? Dang! For whatever reason, I have never had a desire to visit Japan but I know I’m in for a real treat.
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I also had little desire to visit Japan. What a revelation it was for me. I think you’ll love it.
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I remember you saying that in one of your posts. We are probably drawn to “crazier” places 🙂
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Definitely. The more exotic the better.
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You rebel Alison! Sounds like the Japanese are even more law abiding than Canadians. I’m glad you got that great shot and you all had a good laugh. Is it just my imagination or have your Japan posts featured lots of interesting festivals…is this more a Spring thing, or are they spread year round? Love all your parade photos especially the one of the red umbrellas sprouting the flowers.
Isn’t it great to just poke around an ordinary market that’s not so ordinary for us. The little octopus on skewers is an amazing shot. I guess shopping for special chopsticks there is much like perusing through the many cutlery designs at “The Bay” here. Looks like a fabulous way to spend a rainy day.
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Thanks so much Caroline. And thanks for the chuckle. Oh I’m such a rebel!
Japan has 20,000 festivals per year! Many are associated with the Shinto shrines. I went to 6 festivals in 18 days and hadn’t planned on more than 3 of those – I just lucked into the others. Needless to say it’s not hard to luck into festivals in Japan.
The parade was so beautiful. I was in raptures over the beautiful costumes.
And the market was a treat – so many interesting and mysterious things. I like your analogy about shopping for cutlery. I imagine shopping for chopsticks is very much the same thing.
Alison
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I can’t believe there are that many festivals, wow! My nephew is going to Japan in April and your photos have got him very excited.
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I think I could have spent hours in the chopstick shop alone! They are little pieces of art. I have been doing a steady drip, drip, drip of hints to entice my husband to think about going to Japan, and I think he is starting to weaken – yay! Your posts have all added to my eagerness to go.
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I was fascinated to see the chopsticks shop. Such a thing hadn’t occurred to me, but I guess it’s obvious really when you think about it. I saw them in China too. I hope you convince your husband and that you get to go! It’s a pretty amazing country. Way more fascinating and colourful than I expected, and the people are so kind. We’re going back in March for 2 weeks.
Alison
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I remember being in Koyoto after Tokyo I was so please to be there…such beauty…your photography reflects the bright and joyous feelings and delicious foods….lovely post Alison ~ smiles Hedy ☺️💫⭐️
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Thanks so much Hedy. I found Kyoto delightful and wish I hadn’t felt so rushed there. Anyway Don and I are going to be in/around Kyoto for 2 weeks in March so I’ll be able to absorb it better.
Smiles from foggy Van.
Alison
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Oh that will be fun! And also wonderful sushi there as I’m sure you know ☺️💫 smiles from sunny etown ~ enjoy a foggy walk
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Alison – what a day! From the hanging dolls to the food and especially the expression on the Imperial Messenger’s face. Amazing. What a great memory for you and a fun arm-chair adventure for me. Thanks – Susan
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Thanks so much Susan, and you’re welcome! Both days were pretty amazing. Japan was amazing! I suppose I didn’t expect it to be so exotic, and it was so exciting to discover that it was.
Alison
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Loved your photos of both the market and the festival. We too carry our own personal set of chopsticks with us… Perhaps from the days Ben lived in Japan, and got into that habit, but we both way prefer the feel of a wooden utensil rather than metal, and so we just take ours with us.
Ben was just telling me about the amount of festivals that take place in Japan… literally non stop. I look forward to the experience one day. Looks like you found a good one!
Peta
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Thanks so much Peta. Both were worth going to. I always seek out the local markets and festivals. Apparently there are about 20,000 festivals in Japan every year. I think most are shrine festivals. I was there for only 18 days and went to 6 festivals! – two flower festivals and 4 shrine festivals. I knew about three of them beforehand and planned to go, the other three I just lucked into. Aoi was one I lucked into, I didn’t know about it but just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
I used to have a bamboo set of cutlery I always carried with me, now it’s down to just the spoon mainly because the knife and fork didn’t work very well, but we both carry a complete set of cutlery, and cloth napkins and sandwich tubs. Makes it easy to make meals on the road. Carrying chopsticks is a good idea. I hadn’t thought of that. The tour guide in China gave us all a gift at the end of the tour – so I now have my own personal set of chopsticks with a lovely red and gold lacquered pattern on the ends.
Japan is amazing. I totally fell in love with it. We’re soon off on our next trip – 5 days in Paris, a month in Rishikesh, and the 2 weeks in/around Kyoto. I’m so looking forward to being back there and not feeling so rushed.
Alison
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the edible
& inedible
are captured
beautifully 🙂
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Thank you so much
Capturing is easy
with such colourful subjects
enticing me
Alison
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I really enjoyed this one! Marvelous post and it brought back memories! We were fascinated by the food market, filled with things I named UFOs: unidentifiable food objects. You write, “Is it jam or pickles?” The answer, of course, is, Yes. As always your photos and descriptions are superb.
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Thanks so much Jadi. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. I like your UFO’s – that’s exactly what they were. And, of course, yes is the answer!
Alison
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I love the posture of the lady leaning over the ‘japanese pepper’ area. Her concentration seems totally ‘zen’ as she tends to her duty as if she were in the middle of a peaceful field – and not in a bustling urban area.
I’ve read this post twice, and the first time last week I was hungry after seeing the prawns — and even if they were overcooked, at that moment I would have volunteered to adopt those tough morsels!
If hollyhock leaves help protect against disasters, then all countries should adopt this custom! So regal, and so much to absorb and embrace – and those precious little ladies in waiting! my heart smiled when I reached that photo! I would have been with you in the street for a quick photo – taken with respect, and then being surprised by the retort! oops, and until one learns the unspoken nuances of the rules, how could you have known? those locals surely wished there were more tourists like you – respectful yet true to one’s self!
Reading your notes made me realize that we both have chosen respectful ways to heal our bodies – by listening and obeying when the command is ‘stop – or I’ll stop you!’ — I too am much much better, though at times I also pull in the reins and take a little inward ‘check’ after pushing myself too hard… Ah, but a year makes a great difference, and what a joy it is to reclaim a better state of good health!
I’m so glad that you share your experiences with us! Keep rolling, dear and very-special Amiga!
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Thank you so much Lisa for your lovely thoughtful comment.
If I could send you prawns I would!
I wish I could have captured more of the people in the market – there was such a way about them – paying such detailed attention to their task, in a kind of centuries old dance. Almost all the food was being cooked as you watched, in very small portions, each perfectly attended to with such focus, and the nonchalance that comes from years of practice.
The parade was a huge bonus in Kyoto – I didn’t know about it before hand and just by chance happened to glance at the hostel notice board. I too felt my heart soften at the tiny ladies-in-waiting, all so beautifully dressed – as was the entire parade. As usual I was smitten by the glorious colours!
I did know I was not to go out onto the road. I’d been in Japan long enough by that point to know the rules and that everyone follows them. I thought I’d get away with one quick shot. I was surprised to be caught and reprimanded, but not upset about it. I was out into the road, got the shot and was back so quickly I thought I’d get away with it 🙂
I’m much better physically, and it certainly has been a journey on many levels – and a lot of talking to and listening to the body. Although I’m not always pain-free this body continues to serve me well and for that I’m so grateful. I’m glad to hear you’re too are doing much better.
hugs and smiles from me
Alison xo
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just today while loading paintings in the truck at the museo, i ‘almost’ jumped’hopped to the street – and thought – ‘oh no. you might think you’re still a filly, but you’re a put-to-pasture brood mare! don’t try to kick your heels too high! i mentioned to the director, who was helping and said, ‘my mind forgets that i’m not 20 any more, but my body reminds me! they laughed.
thank you again for sharing this lovely story, filled with amazing people from a culture so different from ours – and a lineage that = for me – gets respect on many levels.
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Oh I forget I’m not twenty anymore too. The reality check is so annoying 🙂
A.
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Pretty amazing Alison!
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Such a fascinating culture. I loved the market and would have wanted to sample so many items. You capture the essence of a place and a people with your photography Alison. Very special!
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Thank you so much LuAnn. That’s such a lovely thing to say. Much appreciated. Japan really is fascinating. Definitely worth a visit.
Alison
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