Day 47 - 16th of October

5:02pm　特急電車
天気：晴れ

We're now on the limited express to Kyobashi. Kelly and I decided to walk to the station, cause there were so many people trying to get on the buses. We ended up getting there the same time as the whole group. I'm so excited about tonight. We each donated 100円 to the teacher, to present to the danjiri (portable shrine) to receive good fortunate from the gods. It should be really interesting to see some of the Korean culture and lifestyle.

8:25pm　鶴橋

We've just finished our dinner. We've been here for about an hour and a half! We managed to fit 18 people in this tiny room. The food was great; I feel so full. We'll be meeting back with the rest of the group now, and seeing the main event, on the main street outside the shrine. It ended up costing 1,400円 each, which isn't that bad considering the amount of food we got.

11:04pm　急行電車

We're on the train back to Kyobashi, getting on at 桃谷 (Momodani - peach valley). Tonight was... intense!!! So much energy. The main festivities went on from 9 to 10:30. Hordes of people in traditional dress, dancing in the streets, screaming, drums, whistles, gongs; a cacophony of revelry. The dancing performed atop the danjiri was amazing. It was like they were in a trance; this was a traditional Korean dance-style. Three danjiri paraded the main street, each from a different shrine in the area. There were so many kids, and they provided much of the energy, shouting and chanting and dancing around. We followed a particular danjiri around side streets and then back onto the main street, before they made their way back into the shrine.

At one point the men actually picked up the danjiri; they only lasted about 20 seconds before dropping it. Then, they had to run it up a hill to get it into the main shrine area; the danjiri are on wheels, and it took about 5 tries for them to get it up there. They bombarded us with packets of mochi before more dancing ensued. They set up a stage in front of the danjiri, and younger kids danced along; this one little girl was so cute, and she was really good at dancing. Finally, they entered the shed where the danjiri was housed, the drums beat fading into the night.

11:43pm　普通電車

We're now on the train to Makino from Hirakata; we're going to walk back to the seminar house from there, since the buses are no longer running. After the festival, the organisation responsible for putting on the event invited us back to their headquarters. We all received fans, and took a group photo, then thanked them, before walking to Momodani station...

I woke up pretty late this morning, since I didn't have class till 12. It was the student teachers last sit-in on our class, and we thanked her and wished her well. After class I had to wait until 4:30 until the field trip. So, I hung out with Carly and Jessica, and read a bit of The Gossamer Years in a vacant room. Then when Diego came out of class, and Jessica went in, we walked around campus a bit, had icecream, and took some photos of the garden. We also went up to the top floor (11th floor) of the administration building and got a great view of the city. Finally 4:30 came, and we went on our way to the festival...

There was about 40 of us, and lead by the teacher, we toured around the streets around Tsuruhashi station, passing through restaurants and markets, before making our way over to Korea town. We got to the shrine, and there were a number of stalls set up, selling fries or corndogs or lollies, and others with side show games or goldfish catching; it seemed so Westernised. We split up from there; those with reservations i.e my class, went with the teacher to the Korean restaurant. On the way we passed this massive primary school for Korean children; it looked rather imposing. We soon reached the restaurant; shoes off, up the really steep stairs, and sitting on cushions in a tiny room. I was very certain that it was a converted house. As I said, the food was wonderful, and we even got to witness the danjiri parade as it past. By the end of the night I managed to loose two of my omamori; the study one went first, then the victory one. Kelly joked that I couldn't have victory without study, so it was inevitable that I loose that one too. Oh well, at least I still have my health...