4 more days.
That's how long I have to wait until I see my family. Kelsey and Stef have been in Napa since I left, and it's been miserable without them. While Japan has been great, being away from Stef and Kelsey is taking a toll on me. Skype has made it a bit easier, but I could use a good hug from Stef and some Eskimo kisses from Kelsey.
I said I'd write about Bon. I don't know much about it, except that it's a holiday where people honor their departed ancestors. I'll defer to Wikipedia on this one:
"Obon, or just Bon, is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the departed (deceased) spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. Also called the Feast of Lanterns, it has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori.
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Bon Odori originates from the story of Mokuren, a disciple of the Buddha, who used his supernatural powers to look upon his deceased mother. He discovered she had fallen into the Realm of Hungry Ghosts and was suffering.[3] Greatly disturbed, he went to the Buddha and asked how he could release his mother from this realm. Buddha instructed him to make offerings to the many Buddhist monks who had just completed their summer retreat, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. The disciple did this and, thus, saw his mother's release. He also began to see the true nature of her past unselfishness and the many sacrifices that she had made for him. The disciple, happy because of his mother's release and grateful for his mother's kindness, danced with joy. From this dance of joy comes Bon Odori or "Bon Dance", a time in which ancestors and their sacrifices are remembered and appreciated."
Each region from Japan has a different type of Bon dance (usually based on local traditions), and the same dance can even have different renditions. When I was at the school, they danced clockwise in a circle to various songs. Each song had a series of moves that were repeated for about 5 minutes. They repeated each song again after it ended. I watched attentively until I felt I understood what was going on, and then jumped into the circle (with some prodding from several villagers) and started dancing. Since I was dancing, I couldn't get a picture of me. But I did get a couple videos with my little point and shoot camera. The quality's low, but you can get an idea from watching this one.
They paused for a bit after about four or five songs (each played twice), and then they started up again. The second time, the kids grabbed swords and danced with the sword in one hand and the sheath in the other. The two oldest men had big resonant drums that they pounded rhythmically: boom-rest-boom-rest-boom-rest-rest-boom-boom-rest-rest-rest (repeat for about 5-10 minutes). A recording of an old man singing(reminiscent of native American tribal music) played over the speakers, while the rest held two thin little wooded blocks in each hand, clicking them together in a similar rhythm to that of the drums. I just closed my eyes and soaked it all in.
Apparently, the real festivities are on Thursday and Friday, but I won't be able to see them. I'm going to a post-arrival orientation in Matsuyama on Thursday and picking the fam up from the airport on Friday. That's a shame and all, but I get to see my family!
If you want to read more about Bon, just check the article at Wikipedia. If I have time, I'll upload another video of a Bon dance.
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