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HEADED WEST!
Kurashiki, Japan.
October 20th, 2013, 8:07pm.
We have left Kyoto! (For now.) We will be back later! We're headed out west for a week. Hopefully we will miss the next cyclone that's coming to Japan this week. We went to Kurashiki today, but first, we had to transfer at Okayama Station. We soon found out that this is the hot spot for something called, "Momotaro." As my mom and Real know it, it's "The Peach Boy!" There was a Momotaro Festival and everything! We had just missed it though. Luckily, there was a Momotaro staue right at the station! We went and took a couple pictures, and kept going towards Kurashiki!
After a short train ride from Okayama, we arrived! It had a mixed feel between Tokyo and Hakone. There were mountains in the background, but they weren't as big as the ones in Hakone! And the buildings resembled the ones in Tokyo, but the streets weren't as busy, and the people were dressed more casual. We visited the tourist information centre, where we met a young girl who spoke very good English. She helped us navigate towards our first hotel, and even gave us some ideas for today's activities!! By the time we made it to our hotel and got settled in, it was 4:00pm. The festivals that the young girl had told us about were all ending at 5:00pm! We had to hurry! The festival happened to be right across the street from our hotel, though. I could even hear the music from our room! (The hotel we are staying at is the Court Hotel Kurashiki by the way.) We made it across the street, where tons of men in Japanese clothes were chanting and shouting. They were singing some sort of rhythmic, spiritual song that had the crowd singing along. I wish I had known it so that I could have sang along too! They were speeding through the lyrics way too fast for me to even catch one word! I decided to just sit back happily and watch them do their thing. They were carrying a big Japanese styled box with a man sitting in it. He was smacking a drum along to their chanting. The men were carrying the box with two long, thick poles. Sort of like a royal Princess is carried! I think it's originally from the Indian culture. It's like a royal carriage! Anyways, it was really cool to see, and I couldn't wait to see what else there was around! We decided to keep moving, as we only had a little under an hour to whip through the festival.
There were many shops and souvenir stores around, much like every other area we've been to. But this had a more home-oriented feel to it. We stumbled across the Kurashiki Ivy Square. It was just an open plaza where they were performing some sort of ceremony or something. The outside of the square was so amazing! There were really tall concrete walls littered with lush, green and brown vines. They all had huge leaves on them, which made the wall almost look artificially decorated. I wished plants could grow like that in Canada. Too bad it snows to much there.
Oh! Speaking of snow, in the newspaper yesterday, we read that the first snowfall had happened on Mt. Fuji! The day after we saw it!!! We really stink at this whole "travel" thing, don't we? Not to mention, here in Kurashiki, everything is closed on Monday (tomorrow) which was when we wanted to go exploring. Oh well. It is what it is!
As I was saying, we entered the plaza and we swarmed by men dressed all in white with Japanese head bands on. There were hundreds of them! All standing around drinking beer and laughing with each other! We suddenly heard the drone-like sound of a Japanese instrument, and instantly knew that something awesome was about to happen. We snuck in, and watched the whole ceremony.
There were dancers, dragons, singing, drumming, speakers, and more spiritual rituals performed. I wish I knew what they were saying! I switched to my telephoto lens, and snapped some really great shots of the ordeal! Another "good" reason my first camera broke! Hmm!
We began to walk away from the plaza as we thought the ceremony was finishing up. But we heard a loud chant and realized that all the men in white were pouring onto the stage area to help clean up! It was the fastest clean up I thinkI've ever seen in my life! I wish I could take them home to help me clean my room! They picked up a mini shrine, and were carrying it the same way they carried the "royalty box thing" (...I don't know what else to call it!) They began walking around with it. They let out a roaring, unison cheer, and swung the shrine even higher over their heads. They started vibrating and violently shaking the box. There were bells and chimes dangling off of it, so it added to the sound of their cries! They suddenly parted in the middle, and people started lining up to walk through them. It was so great! Real and I followed, (hopefully that wasn't offensive to them) and walked through the tunnel that they had created. What a neat way to participate in the culture directly!
Feeling happy and honoured, we continued to weave through the market area to explore a bit more. We stumbled across the most scenic, romantic area I've seen to date! There was a calm canal right in the middle of the path way, about 15 ft. wide, and there were gigantic koi fish swimming around in the water. There were also beautiful arched bridges connecting the two sides of the canal. There was a light rain peacefully spitting on the ground, and everyone seemed to be content walking hand in hand along the pavement. Where is a boyfriend when I need one??? Oh well, at least I was with my uncle! *Sigh.* People have actually asked us if we are boyfriend/girlfriend before on this trip. More than once actually! Um, ew! Either it's an insult to me because I look old, or a compliment to him because he looks young. Either way- no. Just no. We went along the path, observing our surroundings intently. It was already getting dark. The end of the ceremony wrapped up the whole festival, which meant that it was 5:00pm. And by that time, it's almost completely dark here! It made for an even prettier walk, though. The nearly naked tree branches casted abstract shadows along the ground, and the background sounds of the rain and distant conversations made everything that much more peaceful.
I walked ahead while Real captured pictures of the landscape. I suddenly came across something that made the whole scenery as perfect as any scenery could ever be. Gently gliding across the water were two snow-white swans. I threw my face into my palms and thought, "Really? Everyone here has a significant other... Even the swans. How much more lonely can I get??" I watched as they skimmed the edge of the canal for something to eat. One of them actually looked up at me as if it were about to say something- but then it turned away and swam back to its partner. I swear it meant something! I don't know what, but it meant something! I didn't tell Real that because I knew he'd make fun of me for thinking it was a sign... But the swans were so pure white that they actually almost glowed against the glass water! It was like seeing an angel in the middle of darkness! So amazing!
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I wanted to remember this view for as long as I live. I think it's the same sort of feeling you get when you look into the eyes of someone you love. Cheesy, I know, but I'm almost 100% sure that you all know what I'm talking about!
With a new skip in my step, we walked all the way back down the street to a small cafe across from our hotel. I had spaghetti... Wow, I even had a romantic dinner to go along with the night!!! Uhg I'm hopeless! It was delicious though. Something other than Japanese food was nice, for a change!
Now we're in our hotel room, trying to decide what to do with our day tomorrow. Our plans are a little jumbled up, since we didn't realize everything is closed here tomorrow. Maybe we'll take a day trip to Naoshima before the typhoon comes!
I'll update you all very soon! And for those of you that aren't single- go grab your loved ones and give them big hugs and kisses for me! It just seems like love is in the air, especially after a night like tonight!! Miss you all!
Love always,
Lindsay Lehr
P:S: *MWUAH!* <-- That smooch was for Auntie Barbara from Uncle Real! Love you, Honey!
- comments
barbara wow ..... give Real a big hug for me Lindsay....love your stories they are so graphic....you do not have to worry about closed stores...just go for a nice walk for the day. Relax you have done so much travelling. Maybe you will see some more special spots! Love you....barbara
shirley Another enjoyable read, and as Barbara says, you make it so very real with the graphic touches you put in. Keep it up, and am looking forward to more pictures when you get home. Those swans look beautiful. xo