The Sakura Dance : Miyako Odori

The city in Kyoto, Gion is famous for Geisya and the beautiful cherry bloosoms all over shirines and temples in April. And the Sakura Dance called Miyako Odori by Geisya makes the sakura blooming month even more special. Miyako Odori is an annual dance performed by Geiko and Maiko (junior Geisya) based on the theme of sakura. The period of performance is only from begining of April to the last day of April, so if you miss this chance, that means you need to wait another year to see the performance. So, on the almost last day of April, which is 29th, my friends I watched the dance and it was just unforgettable.

This is the theater called Gion Kobu Kaburen-jo located near Yasaka shrine in Kyoto.

The first performance of this dance was held in 1872 as part of the Exhibition for the Promotion of Domestic Industray, as a measure to promote prosperity in Kyoto after the city's decline as a result of the capital having been moved to Tokyo in 1869 (information from here). And now it has became an annual event and this year is their 138th presentation of the dance.

I thought the theater is going to small, having just one floor, but the theater was actually way bigger than I expected, having upto 3rd floor. There was 3 types of ticket, 4500 yen, 4000 yen and 2000 yen. With the 4500 yen one, we could have reserved seat and Geiko tea ceremony, but since we were students we just chose 2000 yen one with free seating on Tatami mats without chairs on the 3rd floor. Our seats were very interesting and not that bad. I have never seen a seat like this before in a theater.

This is the stage I saw from 3rd floor

This the free seating area on Tatami mats on 3rd floor. It was so interesting!

The performance was composed of 8 scenes in total, depicting scenes of 4 season starting from spring, summer, fall, winter and then spring again in one hour performance. Because of my low Japanese ability, I could not understand the whole flow of the story, but I can surely tell that every scene was so beautiful and delicate. For the spring scene, the wall and ceiling was fully covered by sakura. And the geisya were all dressed with sakura design kimono, holding sakura branches.

Spring Scene

Night scene in Summer

Fall scene with maple background

Winter scene: the door of the room was opened and could see the winter scenery

Every stage was so delicate and beautiful. It was said that the Kimono for the performance change every year and all of thems are order-made, which takes 6 months to produce the full Kimono and Obi sash.

Sakura, so special in Japan

When it comes to spring, it seems that the most important issue for both Japanese and also for foreigners is ‘when will the sakura bloom? Around the end of February and beginning of March, I was able to see a map of Japan covered in pink very often during the TV weather forecast program. Well, the map is called sakura - jean sen (桜前線) and it is about cherry blossom schedule forecast during the year’s spring season. Like this, I heard that every year, when spring comes, The Japanese meteorological agency makes predictions of when and where the cherry blossoms will bloom. With this predicted dates, people wait for the moment that they can enjoy the full blossom.

sakura - jean sen (桜前線)

During the early April, many of my friends including both Japanese and foreign friends were excited about going to hanami and were busy talking about it. But, I was indifferent about it because I just thought that hanami is going to be seeing a few crop of sakura trees and that is all. Wow, but what I experienced during the hanami period was a lot more than that. I was surprised! During the season, everywhere I go, I could see information about sakura blooming. Every station I go, I could see leaflets and advertisement about hanami places. Our Kansai Gaidai library was also showing out many books about beautiful temples and shrines which have great cherry blossoms.

In the early April, I went out with my friends so often to enjoy sakura trees. I went out as many times I can, so that I do not regret missing this one life time experience. Amazingly, sakura was blooming everywhere, not only inside temples, shrines, but also at hirakata river bank, on the street and even inside our school.

A shrine in Kyoto, Heian Jingu Shrine, it was so crowded and

I was even able to meet Korean trourists who came to see sakura too.

Hirakata river bank, I see people sitting under full bloom sakura tree.

On they way to Hirakata St.,Street near our school, bunch of sakura trees were standing in line.

When my friend and I was taking picture, I could also see other people taking picture too, who could not just pass by this beautiful scene.

Sakura tree near the main gate of Kansai Gaidai.
Since it is standing in the corner, nobody seems to really notice it.

I knew the national flower of Japan is the sakura, but I seriously did not know that hanami is really big event in spring and Japanese people keep this flower so close by them. According to my experience, in Korea, even though the rose of Sharon is the national flower, I do not see them very much. But, here in Japan the national flower is all over the place in spring. My friends told me that the sakura blooming time also has special meaning since it matches with Japanese people's start of work, entrance of school, and graduation. So, sakura which bloom fast and fall at once is usually compared with meeting of new people and seperation. It seems that every important starts and knots of Japanese people's life, sakura flower was always with them.

first picture :www.jal.com/world/en/guidetojapan/seasons/spring/

Japanese people and Religion

This time, I want to talk about a very interesting experience which showed a hidden side of Japanese culture that I would have never known if I just did a normal tour like everyone else. During the spring break, together with my friend and Mari san who is my friend’s host mother, I went on a trip to Nikko (日光). But this was not just a normal trip and I did not notice this was a religious trip until I actually got there. Through out the trip, I could observe the realistic side of Japanese that they believe in many gods and their teachings for their sake of needs.

The other people who went the trip together were members of a religious movement called ‘Happy Science’ where my friend’s mother also acts as a member. It was very interesting. I have never seen or heard of such religious movement before. Happy Science is a religious movement ‘based on the universal teachings from Master Ryuho Okawa, was established in Tokyo, Japan in 1986 (Happy Science Homepage)’. Mari san said that people in Happy Science learn how to be happy solve conflicts. It was also written in the homepage of Happy Science that their unique teaching cause positive influence and attract people from all backgrounds like Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu or others.

Master Ryuho Okawa, founder of Happy Science, reborn of El Cantare

Symbol of Happy Science

People believe in Happy Science follow the teaching of Ryuho Okawa, who is the recent reborn, existence of the supreme god called El Cantare. According to this religion, the reborn of El Cantare has continuously been existed in different time as different form, and for instance, one of the Greek God, Hermes and the founder of Buddhism, Gautama Siddhartha were also existence of El Cantare. Mari san said that Ryuho Okawa was born on the same day that God was said by fortuneteller to be reborn and the reason he was born in Japan is because Japan at that time was poor and suffering from the atomic bombs. And when I actually went into the temples, some temple had statue of El Cantare, and some other temples had Buddha or Hermes statue inside. In some entrance of temple, on one side of entrance there was statue of angels with white wings, but on the other side there was statue of bodhisattva.

Could see angels with white wings, bodhisattva again in other statue!

Temple which has the Budda inside. I was so shocked when I saw this by my eyes.

This is one of a school building that they completed building this year. It reminds me of Greek god temple and I could see the symbol of Happy Science on the top of the building.

By following Mari san, I could go into a wide hall decorated by various colors and listen to the priest's speech. But I had no idea what he was talking since it was all in Japanese :) During the trip, I got the feeling that this religious organization has a lot of funding. Because on the way back to Hirakata, we visited a place where this organization has branch offices, more temples, and has just completed building a middle school and a high school. When I got there I thought I was in Thailand or Cambodia or Greek. It was because all the buildings had so unique shape that I have never seen in my real life, which gave more curiosity about what kind of religion this is.

After the trip, what I felt that Japanese people are even realistic at religion and follow the rule of utilitarianism. Unlike Korean religious culture, where people believe in one god and one teaching, Japanese seems to believe in many religions and adapt acceptable parts moderately depending on situation. What I also felt was, while other people pray for the life to come, Japanese pray and believe in god for the happiness in present life. I could learn many things through this trip and also met many people. I am so glad that I could had such interesting experience.

Group picture all together!

1st picture www.happyscience-fl.org/

2nd picture www.happyscience-fl.org/

3rd picture from me

4th picture from me

5th picture from me

6th picture from me