naki-zoumon
My Friday morning starts of with amazing news. I get to Ueno all excited about the last day of the week. But it’s rush hour because I have a morning class. AND the Keihin Tohoku line (the only other line out of Ueno to Tokyo) isn’t running. SOOOO. Everyone gets on the Yamanote. The damn Yamanote. There were so many damn people there that I had to wait for the 3rd train (and about 2000 people get one one train). So that was an interesting start to my day.
After classes were done I headed over to meet with the guy who had stopped me on the train a few days earlier. It was great. We talked about the kid I’m supposed to teach. We talked about how he should learn English. We talked about why the guy has a huge gash on his head (“I LOOOOOVE drinking” was his answer). As we parted, he told me I have to go drinking with him at least once before I leave. With a gash on his head like that, I’m sure he knows how to party.
Steph cooked some amazing Portuguese food for dinner. I hearted the soup. It was very good and I had 2 bowls of it. And I was happy. And then Evan strummed some tunes while we listened. And then there was Office Space. Office Space is a good movie. I like it somewhat at least. Dumb, but good. Oh yeah. Steph’s okaasan (host mom) is the most amazing okaasan in the world. I can’t wait to go to the BBQ to talk to her again. She’s such a little gossip queen.
On the way home we hit up a bar for a quick Pint with the boys who live in the dorms and then it was home. And what a ride it was. I sat next to this guy who after frantically typing a few emails on his laptop, closed it and started to write a text message. And never finished it because the poor guy passed out.
So Saturday I woke up in the morning to go to this thing called Naki-Zoumon. Crying Festival. I saw this on the list of things to visit/festivals and asked one of our resident directors what it was. Apparently, it’s a contest held every year at a temple here that is supposed to measure the healthiness of a baby.
How?
They get 2 babies in a ring, scare the shit out of them, and whichever one cries first is the healthier one.
ONLY IN JAPAN. I was gonna go. No doubt.
But I slept for a little longer. and then got on the long ass train ride to this temple. (On the train I see this random chick falling asleep on a guy who’s already asleep).I get out, look for this ring. Our Resident director was NOT kidding.
The ring was set up like a sumo ring. They had the guy singing the names of the kids out then they had a referee too. They had sumo wrestlers who’d hold the babies and make faces at them and try to scare them. If there was a stalemate after a while, a guy with a demon mask would run up and go right up to the baby’s face.
The "Ring"
The "Ring"
Bringing out the demon masks.
This one is definitely healthy.
With a face like that I'd shit my pants.
It was ridiculous. I love it. But about 10 minutes later the rain came. I managed to shoot well for 10 minutes. That’s what getting 2 songs at concerts trains you to do.
Met up with some cats, went to McDonald’s to grab some food. Had Will and Pat sing Bohemian Rhapsody in the middle of McDonald’s. Quite sweet.
Thunderbolts of lightning, very very frightening....
Tomorrow. The Auto Show. Cannot wait.
Next week.
Kimono Festival (I hope)
Paul Oakenfold
Paul Van Dyk
Flowerland
After classes were done I headed over to meet with the guy who had stopped me on the train a few days earlier. It was great. We talked about the kid I’m supposed to teach. We talked about how he should learn English. We talked about why the guy has a huge gash on his head (“I LOOOOOVE drinking” was his answer). As we parted, he told me I have to go drinking with him at least once before I leave. With a gash on his head like that, I’m sure he knows how to party.
Steph cooked some amazing Portuguese food for dinner. I hearted the soup. It was very good and I had 2 bowls of it. And I was happy. And then Evan strummed some tunes while we listened. And then there was Office Space. Office Space is a good movie. I like it somewhat at least. Dumb, but good. Oh yeah. Steph’s okaasan (host mom) is the most amazing okaasan in the world. I can’t wait to go to the BBQ to talk to her again. She’s such a little gossip queen.
On the way home we hit up a bar for a quick Pint with the boys who live in the dorms and then it was home. And what a ride it was. I sat next to this guy who after frantically typing a few emails on his laptop, closed it and started to write a text message. And never finished it because the poor guy passed out.
So Saturday I woke up in the morning to go to this thing called Naki-Zoumon. Crying Festival. I saw this on the list of things to visit/festivals and asked one of our resident directors what it was. Apparently, it’s a contest held every year at a temple here that is supposed to measure the healthiness of a baby.
How?
They get 2 babies in a ring, scare the shit out of them, and whichever one cries first is the healthier one.
ONLY IN JAPAN. I was gonna go. No doubt.
But I slept for a little longer. and then got on the long ass train ride to this temple. (On the train I see this random chick falling asleep on a guy who’s already asleep).I get out, look for this ring. Our Resident director was NOT kidding.
The ring was set up like a sumo ring. They had the guy singing the names of the kids out then they had a referee too. They had sumo wrestlers who’d hold the babies and make faces at them and try to scare them. If there was a stalemate after a while, a guy with a demon mask would run up and go right up to the baby’s face.
The "Ring"
The "Ring"
Bringing out the demon masks.
This one is definitely healthy.
With a face like that I'd shit my pants.
It was ridiculous. I love it. But about 10 minutes later the rain came. I managed to shoot well for 10 minutes. That’s what getting 2 songs at concerts trains you to do.
Met up with some cats, went to McDonald’s to grab some food. Had Will and Pat sing Bohemian Rhapsody in the middle of McDonald’s. Quite sweet.
Thunderbolts of lightning, very very frightening....
Tomorrow. The Auto Show. Cannot wait.
Next week.
Kimono Festival (I hope)
Paul Oakenfold
Paul Van Dyk
Flowerland
posted by Piotr Jakubowski at 10:05 AM
3 Comments:
amazingly, the sunday edition of Jakarta Post ran a photo from this contest :) 2 very fat sumo guys shaking these tiny toddlers to make them cry and a dressed up judge in beteween - I guess judging which child started screaming first! Can't wait to see your photos from this :)
yo I best be getting some pics of the babyfights.
They sure do sleep a lot on those trains...
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