Japanese Festival

[Kerri]

Hey again.

I'm gonna post this to see if, once again, I'm the only one in my area on a site, mostly. ^^()

There is a festival here every year during Labor Day weekend in St. Louis Botanical Gardens that more or less rolls all the japanese festivals into one (though they say it's an Obon festival, which doesn't seem like it... there's more summer festival stuff going on than ancestor praise...o.o But maybe so long as its tradition American Japanese aren't very strict on such things?)

In anycase, I am going this year, the same as I did last year. I have my yukata I bought and everything. (I just need an obi...;^;)

They have oragami, kanjy/caligraphy (I learned to spell my name last year), a festival shrine, taiko drums, kimono fashion shows, an anime showing Saturday night and lots of martial arts and sumo displays.

So I was wondering if anyone was nearby and going since I've never been to a con this is sort of my Anime Con.

[ADXC]

Oh cool! I wish there was one like that around here. I'd go if it was near me.

[Tsukuyomi]

Awww, sounds fun

I would join you, but I'm no way near tha area 8(

Have fun and be safe ^^ Oh yeah, as the saying goes,"Pics or it didn't happen" Meaning, you should take pics and show us all the funz you had at the festival \(^__^)/

[Debitt]

Totally unhelpful, but I totally wish I could go as well. I've heard the St. Louis botanical gardens are awesome. :3

u_u; It's too bad I missed the Obon festivals in LA this year.

[Kerri]

: curls up and cries :

...once again... I'm lost in space with no one near me... vv()

Well... does anyone at least know how to make an obi so I can wear my Yukata?

[Kerri]

There is a festival here every year during Labor Day weekend in St. Louis Botanical Gardens that more or less rolls all the japanese festivals into one (though they say it's an Obon festival, which doesn't seem like it... there's more summer festival stuff going on than ancestor praise...o.o But maybe so long as its tradition American Japanese aren't very strict on such things?)

They have oragami, kanjy/caligraphy (I learned to spell my name last year), a festival shrine, taiko drums, kimono fashion shows, an anime showing Saturday night and lots of martial arts and sumo displays.

I got a few pictures. Just bits and pieces.

I got a straw/bamboo cone hat. I'm making a sort of cosplay with my yukata and it even though I'm not sure that's how this character would work.

"What anime is it?"

None.

It's an old japanese fairytale called (I think) The girl with the Cone shaped hat.

There was a poor girl and her mother and her mother was very ill and on her deathbed. She called her daughter to her side and in her dying moments placed a box on her head and put the cone shaped hat on top of it. The hat was so big that not only did it cover the box, but it also covered the girl's entire face down to her chin. The mother made the daughter promise never to remove the hat.

When the mother died the daughter tried to get along with life in the same village, however, the villagers would make fun of her strange appearance with the hat that she couldn't remove covering her face. Unable to take anymore, the poor girl left the village. Walking down a road along a river, a strong gust of wind caught her and blew her into the water. She could not swim, but the hat made it so her head stayed affloat.

Soon a fisherman came by and noticed the hat and pulled it from the water, the girl coming as well. The hat was quite well stuck to her head.

(around here gets fuzzy in my memory but let me see if i can't do the tale justice anyway)

After hearing her tale, he takes her to the capital city where she can find work as a hand maid. Eventually she ends up working at the palace.

The prince of the kingdom is immediately intrigued by her odd appearance and they get to know each other and fall in love. However, the prince's older sisters, all well married to noblemen, look down on the strange peasant girl. In a final attempt to convince their brother she is not fit to be his bride, the sisters invite Cone Hat to a special dinner/feast. During this feast they brag and go on about their lives and their husbands' wealth and their beauty.

Cone Hat is quiet through this and endures. By the end of the dinner, forgive me this next part and how rough its going to sound, he pulls the hat off her head and it actually easily slides off. The box falls from underneath it and pops open, revealing precious pearls and gold so valuable that "obedience made her the wealthiest girl in the room."

I like this story. I like a lot of the fairytailes truthfully. ^_^-

Anyway let me know if you want more pics. I got a lot but not too many good ones unless you were there.

[ShiroiHikari]

This is possibly completely irrelevant, but I'm going to the Japanese festival in Fort Worth on the 24th. Promises to be a good time for many reasons. :3

[thisiskris89]

WAHHHH!we never have anything like that here T_T...im so freakin alone*sits in corner with those little flame thingies around me*

[Garjzla]

I went to a festival in yokohama, it was a lot of fun, and there was a lot of spirit. Everyone seems to cut loose during festivals in japan, i guess that is there one time to not have constant structure.

this was kinda irrelevant but i thought that i would share