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Japanese girl @ matsuri trying out a water bird toy
More interesting than the fireworks at a summer festival in Japan are the crowds before and after. The people are all in a great mood, and the vendors sell some interesting things. Today’s photo is of one such saleslady. This picture was taken at the 日本ライン夏まつり納涼花火大会. The Japanese girl pictured was demonstrating the whistle sound this toy filled with water can make.
A Japanese couple walks the paths near Honmaru on the Nijo Castle (Kyoto) grounds in summer yukata
Korean hanafuda
I frequently see Koreans playing games with Japanese hanafuda cards. Alcohol is always involved, usually large amounts of soju. According to Wikipedia, “in South Korea, the cards are called Hwatu (화투)” and “the name literally translates as battle of flowers.” Two of the most common Hwatu games are Go-stop (고스톱) and Seotda (섯다). Again, according to Wiki, “Hwatu is very commonly played in South Korea during special holidays such as the Lunar New Years, and also during the Korean holiday of Chuseok (추석).” I haven’t seen it limited to these occasions. It is hard to not go for a hike, take a bike ride, or just walk past a park in the neighborhood without seeing a group of Koreans playing. If only I could speak Korean; I could join in…
Old Korean ladies chatting in the park
With summer in Korea being as hot and humid as it is, it is not surprising to find these old ladies in the park every day. Perhaps they don’t have AC at home. Usually they are sleeping in this little pavilion in the park, but on this occasion they were actually conscious.
天祖神社
In just over two weeks I will be back in Japan. I won’t get to visit my old stomping grounds near Waseda University until August, but when pics like the one above come up as my desktop image of the day I feel 懐かしい.
Tokyo Marathon 2010 in the rain (Iidabashi, Tokyo, Japan)
Today’s Tokyo Marathon 2013 had Kazuhiro Maeda as the top Japanese finisher. Four of the top five finishers were from Kenya with the winner being Dennis Kipruto Kimetto.
I remember, very well, a wet morning three years ago when I was there. Click here for more photos and video from that day.