I so hope we’d get to dine in and visit this mansion on one of our Manila trips!
Click here to start that La Cocina de Tita Moning experience.
Category Archives: culture
Mikoshi Festival
It’s August and hence the Mikoshi Festival season again. Here in our neighbourhood, the festival is this weekend. Since yesterday up to today, we’ve been hearing the beat of the drums and the people’s ho-huh-ho-huh as they walk around carrying a divine palanquin: a Mikoshi or a “mobile” Shinto shrine.
Men (and women) in action.
The priests at the head of the procession.
Photos above were taken last year. We didn’t get to watch this year since we went to the hospital yesterday for my regular checkup and afterwards went shopping for baby goods.
We did catch the ending part of the procession though.
Our house is very near a Shinto Shrine hence during the festivities, the way to our house is lighted with lanterns. Can’t explain why but I really find lighted lanterns magical and charming.
The lanterns are lighted all the way up the hill where the shrine is. (the car in the photo is parked on the second level)
Summer is still lingering (hubs and I call it the “revenge of summer”, a way of saying goodbye before it makes way for Autumn) and hence it was soooo hot yesterday. I can just imagine how tiresome and dehydrating it must have been for the participants. Back in 2007, a friend-colleague invited us to participate in the Mikoshi Festival. We suffered the heat. And yes, for a time, I also had to have my turn in carrying the Mikoshi. And honestly? I don’t want to do it again (blush). đ I’d say it takes dedication and also deep belief in what you’re doing for one to happily participate in it. Perhaps if it’s done during colder seasons, I might reconsider. Albeit it’s really similar to the processions we have back in the Philippines during Holy Week and other religious festivities. And when I was still living with my family (before moving to Manila to work), I did participate in those processions almost yearly. And if truth be told, I missed participating in it. It’s all rooted on faith I guess.
hanabi and ramen
The yearly hanabi (fireworks display) sponsored by Kanagawa Shimbun which is held right in front of our office was held today. Wanting to avoid the crowd after the hanabi, hubs and I hurried home when the hanabi was just getting started. There was such a crowd that I didn’t hazard taking a photo anymore; I was only intent on protecting my pregnant belly against the rushers.
Two things I’m glad with with the throng of people: one, there are definitely more people this year than last year – people last year weren’t really particularly feeling festive after the big earthquake in Tohoku region. I’m happy that the people in general seem more buoyed now, more genki. Secondly, it always is really nice to see people dressed in the traditional summer clothes – the yukata. It’s not as elaborate and expensive looking as the kimono but still it’s nice to behold.
We were so hungry but we couldn’t eat in our office area because we wanted to be out of the crowd ASAP. But cooking would take time. Hence we decided to eat near our home. But the best restaurants in our area are the ramen houses. Hubs usually don’t prefer eating ramen but thankfully this evening, he urged we eat ramen. Yey!
Left one is Atsushi’s. It’s tonkotsu (pork bone broth) ramen that’s soy sauce flavoured whilst mine on the right is miso flavoured. I could taste the vinegar in Atsushi’s broth. It’s good but I’m happier with my flavour (albeit mine is more expensive and Atsushi’s has more pork slice).
Because we got guilty with all the fat content, we bought fruits in the fruit store just in front of the ramen house.
Plums and grapes for dessert.
Just balanced, right? đ
work, charms, baby bed
The scope of our department in the current project i’m involved in right now was initially set to be finished around September. The schedule could have been in perfect timing for my pregnancy leave. But we’re still swamped with work so our team’s involvement would probably stretch to December. Ergo I have to handover the handling of my unit to another colleague for him to take care of the remaining deliverables.
This same colleague was very thoughtful in that when he went back to his hometown over the long weekend last week, he bought me a charm from the most famous Shinto Shrine in his hometown in Fukuoka – Kushida Jinja æ«ç°ç„瀟.
This is an omamori, specifically an anzan kigan no omamori ćźçŁç„éĄăźăćźă. In English, a charm for safe delivery (anzan = safe delivery, kigan = wish, omamori = charm and no in this case means of. The sentence structure is very different, yes).
I’m a Catholic and Hubs a Christian. We don’t lean on Shintoism at all. But if one wishes you the best in his/her religion, isn’t it heart-warming? đ
So now I’m carrying the charm around in my bag.
He gave it yesterday by the way. I had to confirm with Hubs the name of the jinja haha.
Then last night, one of our purchases from last weekend’s shopping was delivered.
Thank you Otosan! đ
This will be how it’ll look, sans the futon and beddings.
I hope I can make baby’s bed prettier than the one above. đ
penmanship
I’ve been playfully complaining to Hubs that I absolutely cannot read his penmanship – even his hiragana and katakana, the characters of which I’m familiar with now. I tell him it’s like the penmanship of a kindergarten. And he laughs because he says his penmanship has been lauded as very professional. I try to write.
He tells me my penmanship IS the kindergarten type. Hoh well. At least I can read it. đ
Hinamatsuri!
It’s Hinamatsuri! Otherwise known as the Japanese Doll Festival or Girls’ Day, this March 3 festivity involves displaying dolls arrayed in traditional costume typical of the Heian Period. I was reminded of the Hinamatsuri because of Google’s doodle for the day.
Cute right?
As we weren’t able to go around sightseeing this time, i dug up old photos to show hubby, and share here; photos of my trip with friends in Katsuura City, Chiba back in 2008.
The first thing that greeted us from the station was this.
Even hubby was truly impressed and estimated this must have cost millions. And yep, it was just on display with nary a guard around to look after the display.
The community also displayed the dolls on one of the stairs leading to a temple in the area.
Even a doll collector like me see these numbers of dolls gathered together as quite scary. But look up close and you’d just be amazed at the detail.
An Emperor and his Empress.
Can you count the layers of the doll’s kimono?
A court official.
Court musicians.
Usually, the hina-ningyos of the emperor, empress and courtiers are arrayed like this.
But in Katsuura, we found some displays with elaborate houses.
And some other very interesting displays as well. In bamboos! but oopps, one bamboo window is empty! Could someone have…? (gasp!)
Aren’t they cute?
This manner of displaying the dolls is probably the least of my favorites.
Funny, there’s Anpanman series as well!
This dolls are usually on display from around February up to March 4. Read in Wikipedia that having these dolls on display in the house beyond March 4 would result to the daughter of the house marrying late. I wonder if come next year, we’d be celebrating the Hinamatsuri (for the girls) or the Kodomo no hi (mainly for little boys). Hopefully. Excited! đ