Tsuki-Mi

So, the other night I went to a moon-viewing festival in Kyoto.

I love that sentence.

It was one of those plans that was completely last minute and thrown together, but in the end worked out perfectly.  I was just kind of wandering in and out of the dorm kitchen, eating and putting myself together a little bit.  My roommate was talking to our neighbor, Sabrina, who was planning on meeting a friend at Hirakata station and going to Kyoto to see this full moon festival.  I heard and thought it sounded interesting, but at the same time I was like, "It's a Monday night... I have a lot to do... and a full moon happens every month, so they probably have these festivals all the time".  But then someone mentioned that they only happen once a year.  Yasmina and I just kind of looked at each other and she said, "...How about it?"

In the next twenty minutes we were running out the door and catching the bus at the top of the hill.  We met Sabrina's friend, Kazuko Okuno, at the train station, who turned out to be a very sweet English teacher who kindly offered to show us around at the festival, which we hadn't been expecting.  We didn't want to be third wheels so we had figured on taking the train into Kyoto with them and then going off on our own.  It was completely cool though.  The temple was a short walk past the Kamogawa river.  I really do love Kyoto.

I guess there was some sort of ceremony before the festival that we missed, which was kind of sad, but I didn't mind after we walked down this gorgeous tree-lined path to the red Torii gates (I think that's how they're spelled, but don't quote me).

The outer area of the shrine was lined with little shops and stands selling souvenirs and sweets like o-dango and matcha ice cream (Japanese thick, creamy green tea flavor).  We all ended up getting some.

The festival itself was so cool.  It was really crowded and really hot but they played traditional Japanese music at the beginning that was so beautiful.  It was really discordant and not at all what I'm used to, but there was something so haunting and eerie about it, perfect for the full moon.

After the music, there was a brief intermission followed by a traditional Japanese dance.  I am not sure of the name of it, but it was gorgeous.  It was much slower and less athletically-oriented than Western dance but like the music, it fit the occasion perfectly.  I tried really hard to get a good shot of the dance, but my camera was very uncooperative in the night and it was hard to get close enough to get a good view.

I saw this painting while I was leaving.  In Japanese stories, there's an usagi (rabbit) who lives on the moon and pounds mochi (sweet cakes made of rice paste).  I thought it was so cute and beautiful that I needed a picture.  There were real miko there too--they're the shrine maidens you always see in anime and manga with the white shirts and long red skirt/pants things.  I really wanted to take a picture with one, but the first one I asked said no and I felt too embarrassed to ask someone else.

As we were leaving, Okuno-san gave us souvenirs of these delicious sweets that are very famous in Kyoto.  They're a bit like mochi and they're filled with a sweet bean paste that's in a lot of traditional Japanese sweets.  She also bought us a stick of o-dango each (these are balls of sweet rice paste with a sticky, sweet sauce that are best eaten hot.  I really like them).  It was so kind of her, I didn't know what to say.

This is a smaller shrine within the temple.

Before we left, Yasmina, Sabrina and I made wishes at a little shrine as well.  To do this, you ring a bell via a long dangling rope, clap your hands and stand before the shrine with your eyes closed and your hands together, contemplating your wish.

It was so much fun and so amazing.  This is the kind of stuff I really wanted to do in Japan! Kazuko Okuno-san, arigatou!