花見２０１５

The fleeting Japanese Cherry Blossom season has already come and gone. The blooms last just a couple weeks during April. This year I was lucky to be invited to a picnic under the Cherry Blossoms by some ladies in my town. I met them at a local park where I found them sitting under the trees with a wonderful lunch spread out and ready!

束の間の桜の季節は早く来て終わりました。桜の花は4月に2週間ぐらいしか咲きません。今年、運よく宇出津の女性の方から花見に行こうと誘ってもらいしました。公園で会った時、すてきなピクニックの準備はもうできていました。美味しい鍋とか団子とかフライドチキンとかいただきました！ごっつぉいっぱいあったよ！

宇出津山祭り

This past weekend was the first of the festival season here in the Noto, with Ushitsu's Yama Festival. Yama is the name of the big decorated wagon-like "floats" that are pulled through town for the festival. This Yama festival has been celebrated by dwellers of Ushitsu for at least 400 years! This was my second time to join the Spring Yama Festival fun and I was happy to meet new people as well as old festival friends throughout the weekend. 

能登の祭り季節の始まりだ！先週末は宇出津で春の山祭りでした。宇出津の人は４００年ぐらい前からこの山祭りを祝っています。今年二回目、オリビアも祭りに参加できました。たくさん新しい顔も、しってる顔もあって嬉しかったです。

On Friday night a "Mannequin Viewing" BBQ party was held at the base camp for each of the two Yama teams. There are two yama (and teams) in Ushitsu which represent two local shrines. The townspeople are divided geographically based on where they live in town into the two teams. 

金曜日の夜に人形見のＢＢＱがチームの本部でありました。宇出津で二つの神社があるので、山チームは二つあります。

The mannequins, banners and lanterns to later decorate the yama with- displayed for viewing Friday night.

On Saturday the real Matsuri festivities started with the teams lugging their huge yama down the streets. I headed into town right after they started around 2:30. After arriving I quickly found friends and acquaintances among Team Hakusan to chat with and join in pulling the yama. One of my new acquaintances is an older gentleman who was excited to talk to me about how he traveled all over the world when he was a ship engineer for 13 years. It was so interesting to talk with him, and I think he was equally happy to meet me. Two people with world traveling experiences meeting in a tiny rural town of Japan where many people haven't left the country.

土曜日の午後、祭り活動を始めて、山がチームによって町の道で引っ張られました。着いたら、私はすぐ友達と知り合いを見つけて、山の引っ張りに入りました。今回新しい面白い男の方に会って、この人は仕事で13年間世界中行って来たみたいです。いろいろ世界の経験話があったから、たぶん二人とも嬉しかったと思います。

See the four men standing on a narrow board, belting out the traditional festival songs. After hours of drinking and singing they had no voices by the end of their turns!

Not even rain stops the festival!