Gion Matsuri 2012

It seems like the second we got back from Korea, summer decided to unleash itself on Kansai. While this means sticky, uncomfortable heat all day and night, it also means summer festivals, or 'matsuri', with plenty of opportunities to dress up in traditional Japanese summer clothes, gorge on festival foods such as yakisoba and candy apples, and enjoy float processions and firework displays.

Gion Matsuri in Kyoto is one of Japan's most famous festivals, said to be over a thousand years old. It lasts all through July, but the festival climaxes on the 17th with the grand parade. The three nights leading up to this parade are known as yoiyama, which are pre-parades. We went to the Gion Matsuri yoiyama on the 16th, which was the hottest day of the year so far.

Shijo-Karasuma, Kyoto, on night of Gion Matsuri Yoiyama

Traditional musicians playing on naginata-boko

For me, one of the best parts of the festival was getting to see lots of people dressed up in yukata and jinbei. Especially the girls - the colours and patterns of the yukata were so bright, the obi bows were so cute, and hairstyles were immaculate. I decided to wear a jinbei, which consists of a top and shorts - usually men wear them, but I found a very girly version, and thought it was kind of funky. On the way to Kyoto we got some funny looks on the train, and even heard two old men loudly appraising our outfits. It was a relief to finally meet up with the other exchange students, and see them also looking awkward in various states of Japanese dress (one student had rather creatively paired hiking boots with his yukata).

Rocking the jinbei.

Girls in yukata

We spent about an hour walking up and down the streets, listening to the music of the men sitting in the naginata-boko, watching the police meekly try to organise the crowds into two orderly lines, and complaining about the heat. Then someone suggested we check out the food stalls, and I'm not ashamed to admit that the rest of the night was spent eating everything from chocolate ice bananas to fried potato curls.

Food stalls (shaved ice in the front)

Yakisoba stall

Festival atmosphere

Going to a matsuri in Japan is one of those must-do cultural experiences. Even if you're not really interested in the history behind the festivals, it's worth it just to party with the locals - whether it be being handed a container of yakisoba at a street vendor by a heavily tattooed man, scooping up a goldfish at a stall with a little kid, or sitting in the gutter drinking chu-hi with a group of drunk university students.

A Geisha in Kyoto

One of the classes I'm taking at Kansai University is geisha culture, where we look at the history of geisha, how they are represented in film and media, and how they live their lives in the 'flower and willow world'. Last weekend we went on a field trip to Kyoto, where we did a walking tour through the hanamachi (geisha districts), and had lunch, which was attended by a real geiko.

When it comes to Kyoto, I think a lot of foreigners often have this romanticised image in their heads of temples and tea ceremonies, untouched traditional culture. If you happen to arrive through the huge modernist monster that is Kyoto Station, this image is promptly shattered (at least it was for me). That's why it's sort of a relief to go to Gion, or Miyagawa-cho, and find that the way you imagined Kyoto to be actually does exist, even if you have to look closely to find it. The narrow, maze-like streets, cobbled alleyways, and boarded up houses don't reveal too much about the mysterious geisha world, but every now and then you'll catch rare glimpses of it - whether it be hearing the sounds of a shamisen drifting through an open window, or seeing a maiko or geiko shuffling from one tea house to the next.

The geiko our class got to meet was named Miehina, and she was lovely. At lunch, she came around all of our tables so we could talk to her and ask her questions, which she would answer in strong Kyoto-dialect. Our table was last, and we were all kind of nervous and giggly and couldn't think up many questions. But she didn't seem to mind. In many ways she was just like a normal girl. One of the students at my table had a tiny toy camera, and Miehina was very interested in it, and started playing around with it, taking funny pictures and doing the 'peace' pose. Speaking with her, she was much less formal than I'd imagined a geisha to be - she smiled and laughed a lot. Then she performed a dance for us, and it was like a different person - so very poised and controlled. You could tell how seriously she takes her art.

When I went home and googled Miehina, I found countless photographs, posts, and even a documentary about her. It seems that within the geisha world, she's like a celebrity. I guess if I had the chance to talk to her again, I'd ask what it feels like to be photographed all the time, to constantly have people's eyes on you? Being a geisha is a beautiful job, but also, I imagine, a tough one.

Sakura Wishes: A Sunday Spent in Gion

Today marks the end of the hanami season, as the sakura petals are noticeably falling from the trees, swirling through the air like little pink fairies. They say that if you can catch a falling sakura petal in your hand, you can make a wish, and it will come true. I love superstitions like this, and was lucky enough to make wishes in one of my favourite places in Japan - Kyoto. We had our last hanami at the famous Maruyama Park near Yasaka Shrine in the Gion district.

Sakura tree outside Kawaramachi Station

People gather for final hanami at Yasaka Shrine in Gion, Kyoto

 

People partaking in hanami

The weeping cherry tree at Maruyama Park

It was a lot of fun, but at the same time, I felt there was a hint of sadness to the occasion. Not only because the sakura have nearly disappeared for another year, but also because of an accident that occurred in Gion on Thursday, where seven people were killed when an out of control minivan plowed through a busy pedestrian crossing. I found out about the accident through The Japan Times, but I'm not sure if it's made worldwide news. The Japanese media still doesn't seem to know what was wrong with the driver (who was also killed in the crash), but there's some speculation that he had an epileptic seizure, and that caused the accident. Whatever happened, it was an awful tragedy to occur at what is meant to be such a happy, beautiful time of year in Japan.

Street sign marking Gion

Tribute placed for the victims of Thursday's accident

As we made our way to Maruyama Park, we passed the intersection where the accident happened. You can still see police chalk marks on the road, and beside the pedestrian crossing are tributes for the victims, containing flower bouquets, tea, alcohol, and wagashi (traditional sweets). Being a busy Sunday afternoon, thousands of people hurried through the intersection; tourists heading off to Kyoto's various attractions, Japanese people on their way to hanami parties, everyone just going about their daily lives. But as I stood by the crossing and watched for a little while, every now and then, someone would stop by the mass of flowers, bow their head and clasp their hands together in a Shinto prayer for a brief moment, and then carry on. I think that's a very Japanese way of dealing with tragedy.