“Welcome every morning with a smile. Look on the new day as another special gift from your creator, another golden opportunity to complete what you were unable to finish yesterday. Be a self-starter. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again. Don’t waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail.” ~by Og Mandino

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Sweetest Moment to Flash back

The time seems to flash by and very soon, Bon Odori festival is returned again in JB on this coming weekend. *hurrrray*
Again, I'm so excited to look forward to participate in this interesting event that, to be honest, I don't really want to miss out for this year too. It is organised by the Japan Club of Johor and strongly supported by other parties like Japan Consular, JACTIM, JAGAM and Johor Tourism every year. I just start to know and explore about this wonderful event since last year. Here are some photos took from the Bon Odori in October last year. Have a glimpse.... *wink*


In the changing hall... Many Japanese Obasans had been the volunteers in helping us to put on the Yukata.
I knew the way to wear Yukata but I was not that good in tied up the obe, therefore, I let the two Japanese obasans to give me a hand in putting on my beautiful Yukata. Arigato gozaimas!! *grin*



Bon Odori is actually a kind of memorial event in order to welcome and honor the ancestor's soul and their spirit. It is a Japanese Buddhist Folk Dance performed outdoors and danced in concentric circle around a raised platform called Yagura. Normally it is only held in summer in Japan and most of the ladies are encouraged to dress in beautiful and traditional Yukata when joining the event.
Odori means dance and Bon is the abbreviated name of a Buddhist text - Ullambana Sutra, while the Japanese pronunciation is Urabon, thus shortened to Bon.



Here came the shows during the event - Japanese folklore dance, mochi tsuki (demo of the preparation of mochi), games and lucky draw.


Bon Odori dance... Hey-yo! Hey-yo! Hey-yo!


Niko and I were the paticipants among them in this Bon Odori dance. *fun*

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

can sewa the yukata ka? or that is your own yukata? haha...

Jenjen said...

Do you mean the pink Yukata patterned with peonies in the pictures? It was borrowed from our ex-MD last time. He was the chairman for the event last year and it was also the first time Niko and I were invited to join the event too. Quite fun!
Because both of us were offered the chance to join the Bon Odori by our ex-MD, therefore, we didn't have to spend a penny for the rental last time. Else, I think should be quite expensive, about RM100++

Jenjen said...

Yes, I have a Yukata for my own. It was in sweet purple patterned with lots of Sakura. You can see that Yukata in one of my pictures at left on the main page of my blog. I love it so much. It is quite pricey too as it costed me for about SGD300++. *cut-throat*
I only dressed in my Yukata once during the Annual Dinner & Dance by our company last year.