The Textile Tour of Japan continues

At last I can get back to sharing my trip to Japan with you. When my old laptop died I could not access my photos, but now I am really enjoying looking through them again. A list of the previous posts are at the bottom of this post.

I went to Japan in November last year on an Arena Travel tour with Janice Gunner and 10 other wonderful women quilters, and one husband. P had come along with J, his wife, to see Japan, not intending to join in with the dyeing and sewing workshops, but he did join in and loved it.

In the last post I wrote about Japan we were at the Asakusa Kannon Temple, Tokyo, on a special national holiday and the place was packed with people.

Wandering around the streets nearby there was a festival atmosphere, with fabulously garish food stalls

selling sweet potato chipsand rib sticking bananas coated in a sugary icing

I have been told by Golden Diamond that the Japanese generally have a horror of sugar and don’t eat much fruit as a result, but maybe this is put to one side on special holidays.

I went in search of a calmer place and walked towards a garden close to the Temple, where I came across a group of teenage girls all dressed beautifully in kimonos.

Sadly I only had my little camera with me so the photos are not great. I offered to take a photo of them all together with their cameras, they were delighted and this took quite a time. They were all so happy and giggly and when I asked if they were going to a special ceremony, they all laughed a lot and told me that they had gone to a kimono salon where they could hire the kimonos for the day, and have their hair and make-up done, just to go out and about and have photographs taken. Lots of people stopped to take photos of the group and there was a wonderfully friendly party atmosphere.

I was disappointed later when I realised I had not taken a better photo of them with my own camera.

Then a family came onto the bridge

and I offered the same to them

remembering to get one with my camera too this time

Mum stood back whilst masses of photos were taken by passers by

I wonder what it feels like to be a star for a day when you are 3 and then again at 7 years old.

All over the city there were kimono clad young women being photographed

After a packed day, it was time to pack our bags and prepare to leave early the following morning to go to JR Shinagawa Station to catch the Bullet Train to Nagoya ……

Previous posts:

First Evening in Japan

Japan Day Two: 1

Japan Day Two: 2

Japan Day Two: 3 Shopping

Japan Day Two: 4 Craft Centre

Japan Day Two: 5 Crazy Cats and a Hare in High Heels

Japan Day Two: 6 Doors and Windows

Japan Day Two: 7 Boro

Japan Day Two: 8 Temple

 

Japan D2.8: Temple

My trip to Japan continues ……..

After our visit to the Amuse Museum we went on to the Asakusa Kannon Temple in the city, it was heaving!

So many people on their public holiday visit the temples

to pray

and to see some of the statues that are only on show on these special days.

It was too much of a crush for me so I went back outside to explore the surrounds.

People burn incense and waft the smoke over themselves as a cleansing ritual before going to the temple. How I love that smell!

Others buy fortune telling cards. You pick up a metal holder with holes at one end and shake it until a rod with a number falls out. This number corresponds o to one of the drawers above – open the drawer and take out a card….

apparently there can be bad news as well as good on those cards.

I can’t help thinking that all this seems a vast distance from the simple teachings of the Buddha – what would all those prophets in all the different philosophies and religions make of how things have evolved I wonder?