36th Atsugi Green Festival

The 36th Atsugi Green Festival was held this week end. Saturday was a extremely rainy day. Even so, the event was not canceled and hearing from the nurserymen/gardeners, many people came... not me. Anyway I wanted to go there on Sunday because of the Shinkenger show. Remember the Iiyama Sakura festival. Same heroes but a different company, so different gags but as enjoyable for kids, especially when they can shake hands.

Right before the show, and 3 other times in the day, the kind of Atsugi Green Association was offering some flowers. 4 kinds so 4 long queues which started 30 min before the distribution, 1 plant per person. Some local shops were also providing different kind of goods, food and advices for your garden or bonsai. Of course you can find the basic set of every matsuri : okonomiyaki, takoyaki, yakisoba, choco-banana... shops. Even the proximity of Sanwa Supermarket does not make prices lower. There were also various kind of flowers and trees that we could purchase directly.

The Wakamiya park has a Steam Locomotive on display as you know now. There is also a long track for a mini-SL but I never seen anything running on it since I am here. That was a good opportunity to try both steam and electric type of mini train. We could guess that a local association of passionnate people are taking care of this. It was free to ride the trains and free to take a look inside the huge steam machine.

The event is few days before the こどもの日 (child's day on may 5th) and we hook on fabric carps as a symbol of strength and courage (it was the former boy's day against the girl's ひなまつり on march 3rd). The Wakamiya park has a huge row of carps floating in the middle of the pond. Impressive.

Wakamiya Midori Festival

Riz

Ces derniers jours, ce sont les rizieres qui sont en effervescence. On prepare le terrain, on noie la terre et une fois que la terre est bien engorgee, on pique les pousses. Le soir c'est un opera de grenouilles. Des croissements en dolby surround.

Sakura (end)

I am a bit late on the Sakura updates. It is now finished. It is still nice to look at them so here are some pictures !

The view from the Ono Bridge was great the top was near this factoy when the petals started to fall down. The day was so nice that the "sakura snow" looked incredible.

I did a little night walk to the Komachi Jinja. I heard from neighbors that the place is great during the cherry blossom, in the evening they are lighten up. I have to be honest. That's not that great.

Yes, now it is finished

La Machine -Yokohama

A preview of the incredible show. Next from April 28 to September 27.
Japan Times

Yokohama Noge Street Performance

Bunch of stages are set for pantomimes , acrobats, jugglers, magicians, musicians, dancers, clowns and others during two days, April 18th and 19th.
Check the following links.
Kanagawa Kankou (eng)
Yokohama Daidogei HP (jp)

Port de Yokohama - 150e anniversaire

Yokohama fete les 150 ans de l'ouverture de son port. La date anniversaire est le 2 juin 2009. Plusieurs evenements viendront ponctuer les festivites dont pour commencer une troupe francaise, la compagnie de François Delarozière La Machine.

Deux de ses machines artistiques et magiques, dont La Princesse deja presentee a Liverpool, seront sur le port de Yokohama vers le Akarenga le samedi 18 avril (11h~19h) et le dimanche 19 avril (14h~20h30).

Plusieurs sites dedies au 150e anniversaire sont dispatches dans Yokohama. Le Bayside Area accueillera la performance mecanique du 28 avril au 27 septembre tous les jours sauf les week-ends.


This will be soon the 150th anniversery of Port of Yokohama opening. To celebrate, many events will be held, as for a start the french company "La Machine" with two artistic mecha. One is "the Princess" that was alrealdy shown in Liverpool.
April 18th (11h~19h) and April 19th (14h~20h30) in the Red Bricks Warehouses (Yokohama Akarenga)
Then they will have daily performance (except week ends) on one of the Anniversary dedicated place Bayside Area from April 28th to September 2http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif7th

City of Yokohama - event site (eng) (jp)
La machine (fr)
UPDATE: The princess arriving in Yokohama click here and here(jp)

36th Atsugi Green Festival

April 25 (sat) ~ April 26 (sun) from 10am to 4pm


第３６回厚木市緑のまつり(36kai Atsugi Midori no Matsuri) will be held in the Morinosato's Wakamiya Park. Different activities and performances will be held during the week end such as classic Rakugo (26th 1pm), Harmonica concert, dance and the indefatigable Shinkenger show (26th 11am & 2:15pm).

Kids (and parents) will be able to ride a Mini Steam Locomotive on the dedicated track, in front of the displayed D51 SL, west of the park (26th only)

More detailed infos on Atsugi Kankou HP (jp)

Miyagase Festa 2009

April, 4th (sat), 5th (sun), 11th (sat) and main event on 12th (sun) at Miyagase Dam.

Once again, the Shinkengers will have a show for the kids. A big chance that it will be the same performers as Iiyama Sakura Festival. As usual 2 shows (11:50~ & 14:10~). A small theatrical company will performs songs, dance and Tsugaru shamisen.

www.miyagase.or.jp (jp)

Iiyama Sakura Matsuri

Aujourd'hui avait lieu le Iiyama Sakura Festival, festival qui a lieu tous les ans entre deux week end (inclus), cette annee du 28 mars au 5 avril. Des performances ont lieu les week end. En famille, nous y sommes alles ce samedi. Pourquoi ce jour ? Parce que les Shinkenger etaient presents pour une prestations des plus comiqes.

D'abord, que sont les Shinkenger. Ce sont la nouvelle generation de Bioman. Nouvelle saison pourrait-on dire car ils changent chaque annee. Cette annee est donc basee sur le theme des samourais. Ils ecrivent des kanjis pour se transformer ou obtenir des armes et pouvoirs speciaux. Leurs armes, costumes et tout l'univers graphique est base dessus.

Le show se termine, on peut aller serrer la main des heros. Les petits sont tout fou. Le merchandising fonctionne bien car on vous propose des posters, calendriers et autres par la meme occasion. Il n'est pas obligatoire d'acheter mais j'imagine que c'est leur moyen d'ameliorer leur recette du jour. Le show, comme toute performance est gratuite.

Suivent un groupe de cheerleaders. Rien d'exceptionnel, la moyenne d'age doit etre de 10 ans. Les petites filles sont contentes. On a eu aussi le droit a un groupe de pop-rock pas mal qui viennent juste de sortir leur premier album et un groupe de koto. Ma foi, regarder les Sakura avec cette musique est bien agreable.

Il faut venir avec sa petite bache pour pique-niquer sous les cerisiers. Amenez votre bento ou profitez des petits stands typiques des Matsuri : Yakisoba, Takoyaki, Saucisses, Yakitori, Choco-banana... que du bon !

Pour digerer, on peut facilement aller visiter le Iiyama Kannon Temple a une cinquantaines de marches de la. Les rangees de lanternes donnent un aspect magique a la scene. Bien, on n'est pas a Kyoto ou Nara, je vous l'accorde, mais ca satisfait le chaland !

Iiyama Onsen Association Site (jp)
Kanagawa tourist information (eng)

Iiyama Sakura Festival

Kanamara Festival

Chaque premier dimanche d'avril, ce petit festival est tres populaire aupres des etrangers. Toujours decrit dans les guides a cause de son folklore decale, il est moins connu des japonais. Peut-etre parce que ce n'est pas le seul ou que beaucoup d'autres endroits y sont dedies. On dira que c'est le plus festif du coin.
Tres proche de la station Kawasaki Daichi, on peut de suite apprecie le Mikoshi tres special et suivre le cortege jusqu'au Temple Wakamiya Hachimangu. Priez pour votre fertilite et pour se proteger du SIDA.

Depuis la Keikyu Kawasaki Station sur la Keihin Kyuko Line, prendre la Keikyu Daishi Line et descendre a la Kawasaki Daichi Station. Le temple a 3 minutes de marche.

Every year, the festival is held the first sunday of April. This is a small event but very popular among foreigners. Usually described in every guide books, it has a very casual and comic atmosphere.
Extremly close from the Kawasaki Daichi station. you can enjoy right away the mikoshi and then pray for fertility and protection from AIDS in the Wakamiya Hachimangu Shrine. Many goods and foods follow today's theme.

From Keikyu Kawasaki Station on the Keihin Kyuko Line, take the Keikyu Daishi Line and get off at Kawasaki Daichi Station. The temple is a 3-minute walk.

Sakura

C'est pour bientot...

April fool or Happy New Year ?

April 1st does not have the same meaning as the western culture. Here it is the New Year. To be exact the new FISCAL year. Big companies also give their year end results in December~january to fit the whole world but the real decisions are made to fit April 1st. New budgets, orgnisations, employees... everything change and everybody move that day.
It is also the first day for students in their new class, school. In France we get use to start in september-october after a loooooong vacation but Japan has only 2~3 weeks of rest. The longer vacations come on August with the Obon-week.