Eisā Festival, the masterpiece of the Japan's Summer Festival

Last Saturday, July 26th, I managed to attend the Eisā Festival for the first time. Originally, an Okinawan festival,  Eisā Festival is performed as one of the religious rites to send off the spirits of their ancestors on their journey at the end of the Obon season. It is just like the Bon-Odori in most places in the Kanto area, so I guess you can say that it is the Bon-Odori for Okinawans.

Most groups have performers who play the big drum (大太鼓, Oo-Taiko), the shime-daiko drum (締太鼓) and dancers dancing with only hand gestures, (手踊り, Te-Odori) accompanied by singers with playing the sanshin (三線). All in their own rhythm showing the beauty, joy, pride, and love for their dance makes the Eisā festival, one of the most energetic festivals.

Young and energetic

One cheerful performer

I love the determined expression on the performer's face

In the past, every year, when the end of the Obon season nearing, some local government in Okinawa will beat at the town hall drum for the local residents as a reminder that it is THE time to send off their ancestors. Usually made up of young men and women, they all will come together to train for the Eisā Festival. And between July13th - 15th on the lunar calendar, regional groups from different parts of Okinawa gathered together in one place for the 3 last days of Obon, combining their performances to form a masterpiece of a festival.

Like many folk dances, the origin of Eisā Festival and how it started was unclear. There are a few thoughts as to how Eisā started. One is connected to a Buddhist monk named Taichu of the Jodo sect. It is said that this monk was working in the Ryukyu Kingdom, where he successfully converted the Ryukyu king, Shouneiou, and many other high court officials to Buddhism. At the same time, he also translates the Buddhist scriptures (仏典, Butsu-ten) to the common folk by dancing and singing the short verses from the Buddhist scriptures. Naturally, the common people learn Buddhism by dancing and singing too. This is one theory as to how the Eisā folk dance started in Okinawa.

Another is that the word, Eisā was purportedly found in one of the Ryukyu's oldest ballad compilation, the Omoro Saushi (おもろさうし). The Omoro is a collection of ancient poems and songs, complied in volumes, detailing the religious beliefs, the history, the land and the heroes of the Ryukyu Kingdom that forms the unique Okinawa culture today.

Traditionally, a new generation of Eisā group, inherits the distinctive way of performing the Eisā dance from their predecessors. In some areas where they do not have their own group of Eisā performers, these groups usually learn it from the groups in the neighbouring districts. They are allowed to have their own style of Eisā performance. As every Eisā group has their own distinctive style of performance, there is no single form of choreography.

For someone who joined the Eisā Festival for the first time, my body feel alive, listening to the rhythmic beating sounds of drums, but at the same time, my soul is soothed by the relaxing pluck at the strings of the sanshin in the background. This combination of musical instruments creates a very lively and yet, a reassuring atmosphere that is unmistakably Okinawan.

The Eisā Festival performs straight into your soul with an Okinawan energy is one festival that seems to make summer heat not only bearable, but enjoyable. Even the usual crowd-averse me is glad that I decided to be brave and made it to Shinjuku's Kabukicho to witness this magnificent performance in the sweltering heat. It is one summer festival that you CAN'T miss if you are in Japan.

Were you able to join the Eisā performance last Saturday too? What do you think of it?

Spring is in the air.... in Showa Kinen Koen

Wow! I can't believe that now is spring. This spring makes it my 2nd year in Japan.

Flowers are blooming everywhere and I woke up to the sound of birds singing outside my window this morning. The sun is bright and everything is sunny. I felt that this is one of the most beautiful mornings I had in a long time. It has been so quiet during winter with everything so bare and gray before, but life seemed to have returned from its sleep. I have flowers blooming outside my apartment and they bloom so brilliantly as though they have always been forever like that.

To me, I felt that the spring is the best wake-up call for me to start to get active and do all the fun stuffs, especially after this year's cold, bare winter that seem to make me slow down on my work and studies.

And when spring arrives, it actually felt like the beginning of a new year. Everything starts moving. Everybody is getting busy as school starts and new employees start their first day at work in April. Some of us moved out and into a new place to live.

Even the nature is getting busy. The plants are budding out new leaves. Flowers are blooming. I guess spring is a wake-up call for every living thing on this planet.

I will be getting busy as well with hanami parties lining up, new semester at the university and of course, preparing more posts for this blog.

Today, I just want to introduce to you a place that is a favourite with Tokyoites whenever we need a big, open space to relax. I am sure that many who lives in Tokyo know about this place, the Showa Commemorative National Government Park (国営昭和記念公園 Kokuei Shōwa Kinen Kōen).

It is my favourite escape door to nature whenever I feel overwhelmed with life in Tokyo. It is relatively easy to get to from Shinjuku station and it takes about 30mins to get there by train.

The Showa Kinen Koen is a lovely park to go to at any time. And like Tokyo, it has never failed in surprising me with its beautiful flowers and peaceful walkways (although it is always full of people).

Before I start going on and on about how I love Showa Kinen Koen, first, enjoy some spring photos taken from the park.

It is seriously a beautiful day and I am happy to spend it with the yellow daffodils

Although you can't see the crowd from the pictures, but it is a busy park and lots of people come here (especially in spring and autumn) to take photos of the park, to relax, to play frisbee... But it still manages to feel spacious and peaceful despite everything.

I wished I lived nearby enough to bring and read my book in this park

This is a huge park and you will need at least half a day just to enjoy a small section of this park. I would recommend spending a whole day here because there is so much to see and much more to do. You can hire a small boat to row in the big lake, you rent a bicycle and ride around the park, have BBQ or picnic, kids can enjoy splashing around in the Rainbow Pool and much, much more to do.

Lovely park to relax

The famous gingko lane

It is a 400 Yen (update: it is 410yen as of 06.07.2014) for anyone above 15 years old and half price for senior citizen above 65 years old to enter the Showa Kinen Park, but I can assure you that you will feel the price is worth it once you enter this park.

The nearest station to the park is Nishi-Tachikawa Station (JR 西川 駅 or JR Nishi-Tachikawa eki) on the JR Ome line (青梅線) or you can stop at the JR Tachikawa Station  (JR 立川 or JR Tachikawa eki) and walk 15-20 mins walk from there.

The website of Showa Kinen Koen also provides additional information on how to get there in English from various major stations, but I will put it up in this blog for you.

Photo credit: Showa Kinen Park

Photo credit: Showa Kinen Park

And the direction to get there if you arrive at the JR Tachikawa station (JR 立川) instead.

The Showa Kinen Koen is one of the easiest parks to go to whenever you are in the city and wanted to go somewhere naturally beautiful or whenever you just simply wanted to feel the grass under your feet. 

So, have you been to the Showa Kinen Koen yet? If yes, what do you think of the park? 

If no, do you think you will make a trip to the park after this post? 

Share with me your experience at the park! So, till the next time ( ^_^)／