Bon Dancing 2011

Because Mum was here in August this year she was "lucky" enough to come to the Bon-Dancing events. For anyone new to Japanese traditions this is an event where everyone gets together to dance around and around and around and around to give the ancestors who have been back visiting over the past few days a safe passage home. This year we went to two quite different gatherings - the first our small local one where Mum outdid herself by not only learning how to dance around and around and around (while I chatted with friends on the sideline), but also picked up some of the top prizes in the lottery held at the end of the night. Our area always gives out washing sponges with numbers on them (no idea why, but actually quite useful) while you are dancing and then at the end of the night you watch with anticipation to see if your number wins a prize... something exciting like glad-wrap or washing powder! Mum came away with a bucket of car washing stuff and a can of mosquito coils... which we inherited - thanks!
The second bon-dancing we went to was in Bungo Takada and was on a bit bigger scale, but of course still consisted of people dancing around and around in circles. This time they were all in teams and the best dancers won prizes - the rest of us were just there to watch. Although it wasn't ultra-exciting, I do enjoy the atmosphere of lanterns, street stalls and Japanese drumming. The team in orange below are the firefighters. Somehow I just can't see many New Zealand firefighters willing to dance around and around in a circle slapping their fan for over an hour... perhaps I am wrong!
right - I think that is enough catching up for this morning.... the garden is now in some desperate need of help! I hope that satisfies you for a few hours Mike.....