As Told Through Pictures and Video (and a Few Words)
Summer festivals mean a chance for Westerners to dress up Japanese-style without standing out too much. Jessica, Kellie and I rode the bus to Tanukikoji (the outdoor shopping mall between Susukino and Odori) on Saturday to buy Kellie a yukata (light kimono-type garment used in summer for festivals and other special occasions) and us accessories for the yukata we had already bought during our previous trips to Japan.
In Tanukikoji, there's a small shop that sells only yukata and kimono (and matching accessories) at reasonable prices - Kellie bought her yukata, obi (sash), pre-designed bow (to avoid the trouble of tying it yourself), geta (wooden sandals with cloth straps) and fan for about $60.
Most yukata and kimono cloth is patterned and in bright, contrasting colors, and if you've seen any traditional Japanese kimono or yukata, you know that the myriad of colors somehow manage to complement each other, even if they don't match much. Being a matchy-matchy dresser, I asked for help from one of the employees, an older woman who seemed both eager to and experienced in helping foreigners put together an outfit.
Yukata come in all colors and range from patterns with pink bunnies to fireworks to simple blocks and stripes, so in a way you can personalize your yukata and easily express yourself in what you choose. Ironically, all three of us wore yukata with floral prints, but everything else, from the obi to small purses to hair accessories, reflected our respective personalities. (At least, they did in my opinion.) Kellie chose a deep purple yukata with sugar pink flowers and a gold-toned obi, Jess wore her black yukata with red sakura-like flowers and a yellow obi, and I wore the periwinkle blue yukata with purple and pink flowers and pink obi I had bought in Kyoto last summer.
But who needs my explanation when pictures can do it so much better?
Kellie, Angela (from New Zealand), Lois (also from New Zealand), me and Jess before Sunday's final yosakoi dance competition.
On Saturday, we literally stumbled across the first day of the festival during our mission to find yukata. I'm not sure how many groups competed from all around Hokkaido, but they performed, one immediately after another, in the main street leading through Susukino and Odori, for at least two hours. Each group was preceded by a van or float with the group's logo or identification and a singer or emcee riding on top, providing music and gathering audience applause.
People who participated in each group ranged from elementary school-aged kids to middle aged women, as you can see below:
After riding the bus down to Odori, we met up with Ashley, Maki and her boyfriend Tomoya and took advantage of the fountain for some photo opportunities. (Did I mention it rained all day?)
Thanks to some delays, we missed SatsuDai's performance by about 15 minutes. At least we got a post-dance group shot.
The following are some photos I took of the top groups of this year's competition and two videos, one of another college Yosakoi Dance group and one of the drummers who performed on top of another float-type vehicle.
No comments:
Post a Comment