Celebrating spring

Spring is in the air, and in typical Japanese fashion this is celebrated with special displays in supermarkets, flower-viewing parties and numerous festivals. I will really miss the enthusiasm and dedication that people here show for the 4 seasons, hopefully Vaughan and I can keep some of these customs going when we return to New Zealand! Last year I missed out on several spring-related festivities because I took a trip to Europe, so this time around I decided to take in as much as possible.

A must on Fukuoka's March event calendar is Kyokusui-no-en Festival, a water poetry ceremony held under the ume (plum) blossoms in Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine. Dazaifu, a small historical town 20 km from Fukuoka, is actually known all over Japan for its ume trees because legend has it that a flying plum tree followed his exiled master all the way from Kyoto to Dazaifu Tenmangu in the 10th century. Ok then...?!

During the ceremony about forty men & women, all dressed in gorgeous Heian-style robes, sit along the winding stream in Kyokusui garden and compose poems inspired by spring. This sounds pretty tedious but the special feature of this festival is that it involves impressive improvisation skills and a definite love of sake. Full cups of sake are set afloat down the stream and before each one reaches the participants, they have to make up a Japanese poem, waka, and write it down on a strip of paper. When the cup reaches the individuals, they then drink the sake and hand the paper strip and cup over to an attendant.

The blend of a beautiful outdoor setting, elaborate costumes, ancient ritual and traditional music made this a really compelling event, despite the fact that out of the corner of my eye I could see this ghastly children's amusement park! That's Japan for you: a paradoxical mix of traditional elegance and modern kitsch that is difficult to comprehend...

Towards the end of the festival I managed to position myself on a rock under an ume tree and take some close shots of the ceremonial outfits all the performers were wearing. These kind of moments are why I love living in this country :-).

The intricate design and beautiful fabric of these kimonos took my breath away...

Stunning!

Soaking up the festival atmosphere around the shrine and in the main street of Dazaifu was almost as much fun as the ceremony itself :-).

I bumped into Jenni & Shin several times throughout the afternoon and decided to join them and Jenni's Kiwi friends for a tasty tempura lunch. Thanks guys!