Bon Odori

There is so much to catch up on with blogging!  I didn't bring my computer with us on vacation to Tokyo, so I am a tad behind.  Before we left, Husband's co-worker invited us for a BBQ during the day and then we'd go together to Bon Odori at the kid's school.  Obon (or Bon) is a festival to remember your ancestors.  Often people have family reunions and clean the graves of loved ones.

They cooked us sooo much food and so much of it was unusual to me and so fun!  He cooked fish on a grill.  He cooked it whole with salt on the outside.  It was delicious!!  He also cooked beef tongue, which was good.  And, chicken skewers (some of which were chicken cartilage).  It was all yummy, although I was so stuffed and couldn't eat much.  It was also hard to eat because it was very hot outside.

The family has three kids and they played in a little baby pool that barely fit all 5 of them standing up.  But they had a blast anyway. It was awesome to hear the kids laughing and having fun.

I don't know if this video will show up very well, but he set up a slide and had water running down it.  Then, they would drop noodles (somen) down and you had to catch them as they went past you with chopsticks.  I am not very good with chopsticks.  It was hilarious though!  Then everyone had a cup of cold sauce to dip the noodles in and then you eat them cold.  You could also put sliced ham, cucumber, egg, and green onions in.

We stayed at their house all afternoon and then close to evening they had Yukatas for G and I to wear.  We got dressed and went to the Bon Odori, which is a traditional dance.  You end up moving in a circle and there are motions you do depending on the song.  I followed along with a nice woman and it was fun to do.  G was brave and went up on the stage (yagura) to dance with the kids.

This picture is early in the night before it got crowded.  There were food stalls and kids games set up all around the perimeter.  Don't worry- I had a shave ice!

The family was so gracious and kind and went out of their way to make sure we had a good time.  I appreciated it so much as it's not something I've ever experienced.