Shikoku - Festival Performance

Another beautiful sunny ridiculously hot day in Shikoku!
Today the Kono-family took us to Shikoku-mura which is a 'village' with lots of old preserved buildings. We didn't have a lot of time, so just had a bit of a wander around, although a couple of people motored up the hill to the waterfall.
We crossed a rickety swing bridge which looked like it was made from twigs! (Kono-san had said to me that you can't walk on it.....but when I saw other people crossing I decided to cross too. I asked him why he'd told me that and he said it's safe to walk on but he thought that I would be too scared!) ...actually quite true.
We saw - hornets (japan has very big insects!), a very tall fire watch pole, tea house, boat house, and watched the pretty windchimes blowing in the breeze with the bamboo.
For lunch - Udon!!
For snack - mango icecream :9

Then .... the big one. First Wai Taiko Performance in Japan!!
We were even advertised on the poster - for the Miroku Summer Festival!
Many thanks to the very generous Asankyo team who lent us their drums to perform on.
It was rather nerve wracking.....especially when we were told that not many people would be there as it was so hot that most would come later for the fireworks, but then when we looked out there was a BIG crowd (I guess a 'few' people in Japan means a few hundred)....
But our performance went really well :)
We then enjoyed watching the other performances - Japanese hiphop dancers, some very cute kids dressed as mushrooms, and Asankyo! Later we wandered up the hill to check out the stalls on the way to the ultimate viewing place - somehow Asankyo had moved their massive Odaiko up onto a platform and they drummed while the fireworks display went on. This was a MASSIVE feat as the fireworks went on for about half an hour!

A wonderful day and excellent start for our Japan performances :)

Shikoku - Awaodori

First morning in Japan - yummy Japanese breakfast at the hostel then a very very rushed trip to find the bus to Shikoku! Luckily we made it - Just In Time! and then we were on our way off the main island.....
A short icecream stop on the way, and then back into the very welcome airconditioning of the bus. The heat is still surprising!
Finally, we made it to our stop, and were met by Kono-san and his family. It was so lovely to see them again.
Our accommodation here is a lovely hotel set in the countryside, right by a lake. We got to do a few rambles around while we were here to check out the countryside. This is very different from what most visitors would see of Japan - lots of bush, rice paddies and older houses. Our rooms are very traditional, all sleeping on futons on tatami mats. It takes a bit of getting used to, and the pillows (stuffed with seeds / buckwheat husks) were not popular!

Main impression of Japan = very green! (this is not something I normally think of when I come here!).

Lunch was Sanuki Udon. This is the local cuisine and Kono-san eats it everyday! Cold noodles on a hot day is delicious :)

That night we headed out to Awaodori Festival - one of the major traditional festivals of Japan, the streets are lined with lanterns and stalls selling festival food (anything on a stick), and there are dance groups performing the Awaodori dance in all different areas. They have their own musicians and dancers and each group had their own version of the dance, it was so interesting to watch them all! We even got to have a go ourselves in the 'audience participation' slot....

Favourite act - a group that did a little 'tap dancing' type part on their geta shoes!

Favourite food - Kakigoori (shaved ice) this is always my favourite! and Crepes :)

Osaka - Arrival

Early morning flights are a bit painful.....but we all got there ok, and then after a long flight (and short stop in Hong Kong) we made it to Japan!
First Impressions - Very hot! It's very humid, sticky and hot. No need for a jacket.
We arrived around 10pm, and then we had to rush to make sure we got the train since it was late......it was a trial by fire for learning to buy tickets and catch trains.....and the start of many bouts of lugging our suitcases up and down stairs (we soon figured out what style was easiest!).

Definitely recommend Shin-Osaka HI hostel!

This is it!

Last night before we head off.
Everything is coming together!!!

3 sleeps to go....

Planning a trip for 12 people is not easy. It has taken a LOT of work to get everything ready, plus all the fundraising we've done. But all the effort has paid off and now we are almost there!!
It's quite crazy to think that around this time 10 years ago we were gearing up for our first ever performance at a little church gala, and now we are getting ready for our first overseas performances / TOUR! Soooo exciting!
And its amazing to see the progress we've made, even though the faces have changed a lot over the years, the spirit and joy has stayed the same and our dreams have gotten bigger and better....
Japan Tour seemed almost impossible at the beginning....and now its really happening. And I don't think we would ever have imagined we'd all be composing our own solos and songs, or learning something as tricky as poi but here we are!

imagine where the next 10 years will take us......
in the meantime stay tuned for our japan trip updates :)