Festival 祭り

August 8月

We start this week with a dragonfly. Well, actually, the simple logo on a ball point pen. It was my prize for taking part in a quiz, organized by teachers from the Japanese Cultural Centre in Frankfurt. http://japanisch-kulturzentrum.de/

There were about 15 of us, all sitting in front of the institution's tent at the Main Matsuri Festival. Questions included things like "what colour are Japanese postboxes ?" or " After earthquakes and typhoons, what do the Japanese fear most?". It was great fun, even though I only got 13 out of 20 questions correct. And then my prize - a ballpoint pen with the distinctive Tombow logo.

今週はトンボから始まります。正確には、ボールペンのシンプルなロゴです。これは、フランクフルト日本文化センターの先生方が企画したクイズに参加した賞品です。

Where had I heard that word before? Of course. In a flash I was transported back to November last year. To a temple in northern Japan - The Takkoku-no-iwaya 達谷窟毘沙門堂 , which is in the fields outside Hiraizumi in Iwate prefecture. It was here that I was innocently photographing this dragonfly, and asked my friend "what's dragonfly in Japanese?"

その言葉を以前どこで聞いたことがあっただろうか？もちろん。一瞬にして、私は昨年の11月にタイムスリップした。北日本の寺院、岩手県平泉郊外の野原にある達谷窟毘沙門堂だ。

Tombow - とんぼ (蜻蛉).

If you are receptive to the atmosphere of places then you would not easily forget this small temple complex . It radiates calmness and peace. The natural rural site - a cliff on the edge of a small wood, seems to emphasize that syncretism of Buddhism and Shinto which the Meiji government tried to seperate.

Think of the chapel on the Scottish island of Iona, or a medieval monastery in Provence.

And then this quiet dragonfly. There is there is something very old about a dragonfly, even older than this place, which was founded in the 9th century. An accompanying photograph reveals a lizard basking in the sun......

場所の雰囲気に敏感な人なら、この小さな寺院群を簡単に忘れることはないでしょう。この寺院群は静けさと平和を放っています。

and behind the temple the ginko trees flare yellow against the pure blue sky......

If you want more info on this place, here you are........https://iwayabetto.com/top.html

(get google to translate for you!)

Back to the ballpoint pen : From the website of the firm......

".......The Japanese word Tonbō translates as dragonfly. The company adapted the spelling to make the pronunciation and type more international, which is how the brand name Tombow came about.

Customers often ask why a dragonfly adorns the Tombow logo. In addition to it being the element that gives the company its name, it is closely related to the importance of the dragonfly in Japanese culture. In Japan, the dragonfly is regarded as an insect that brings luck and stands for courage, bravery and success. The ancient name for Japan is in fact aketushima, or dragonfly island, because the islands that form Japan are grouped like an elongated dragonfly body🗾

The importance of the dragonfly to Japanese culture is also shown in an old custom of the samurai leaders: in battle they often wore a helmet in the shape of a dragonfly in order to be recognisable on the battlefield.Today the dragonfly has another meaning: It stands above all for intact nature where humans, plants and animals alike can enjoy a permanent, unpolluted and healthy habitat. For Tombow, the dragonfly is therefore a reminder of the company’s proven traditions and values, and at the same time indicates its commitment to the future....."

But there was another surprise for me. I sort of assumed that the pen had been bought in Japan....but.....Hey! the production centre for Europe is in Mörfelden, just down the road from Langen..... What next! https://www.tomboweurope.com/en/company/about-us

Returning to the Main Matsuri festival after a break of 2 years was a revelation for me. The new venue - the Büsing Palace and park in Offenbach, seems perfect (Previously we had held the festival at the Walter-von-Cronberg Platz in Frankfurt). Exhibitors have room to put up their booths at a comfortable distance from each other; the main stage is shaded by big trees, and all the visitors can spread out on the grass and relax. And the Sbahn Offenbach Marktplatz is 2 mins walk away. Here are a couple of random impressons.....Yummy.....😋

2 年ぶりにメインフェスティバルに戻ってくるのは、私にとっては驚きでした。新しい会場であるオフェンバッハのビュジング宮殿と公園は完璧です (以前はフランクフルトのヴァルターフォンクロンベルク広場でフェスティバルを開催していました)。出展者は互いに快適な距離を置いてブースを設置できるスペースがあり、メインステージは大きな木々で日陰になっており、すべての来場者は芝生に横になってリラックスできます。また、オフェンバッハマルクト広場は徒歩 2 分のところにあります。ランダムな印象をいくつか紹介します。おいしそうでした。😋

10€ ? Wow, what a European price!...... ¥1,626 would easily buy you a nice meal in Japan. But it's a festival isn't it 😊......

10ユーロ？すごい、ヨーロッパの価格ですね！...... 1,626円あれば、日本では簡単においしい食事ができます。でも、お祭りですよね 😊......

Free Sake from the Vereinigung der Japanischen Unternehmen Frankfurt e.V. (Frankfurt Business Association, the Hojinkai....)......I sometimes have the feeling that alcohol 🍶 still oils the wheels of business in Japan!

https://www.hojinkai.de/

In the background in this next photo you will see a happy customer adding his flavour to that summer classic.....shaved ice....kakigoro.....https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakig%C5%8Dri

An attentive audience before the main stage. For the cosplay fans the baroque steps in front of the palace was an ideal place for photo shoots.

Here Koto player Mana Yoshinaga 吉永真奈 is giving a dazzling performance.....

Did I mention cosplay? Well I'm not sure what this guy was dressed up as, but his dog didn't seem to mind......

....watching Rena-san singing, backed by flautist Juan, pianist Juan and Sammy Satoshi on percussion......Of course there were many other great artists which I didn't have the time to see. Here's the list from the website.....

https://www.main-matsuri.com/en/programme/artists

Festival memorabilia.....お祭りの記念品……

🪭 Thank you for reading "..Festival..."

"...祭り.... " を読んでくれてありがとう

🪭Feel free to share the blog with friends.

よろしければ、リンクを友達と共有してください

🪭 And and I enjoy hearing from you...!

コメントすると楽しいです!

And we will end with a dragonfly. Not at a pond in northern Japan, but one in the woods near where I live. Here there are no lizards, no temples or Ginko trees. Instead we have wild colour........

最後にトンボの話で終わります。北日本の池ではなく、私が住んでいる近くの森の池です。ここにはトカゲもお寺も銀杏の木もありません。その代わりに野生の花が咲いています......