I'm a sucker for Japanese culture as you may observe and read some of my blog posts. I love their culture, passion, educational views, etc. (hhmm next time I'm gonna share to you my Japanese books) but anyway here's my sharing to you this morning, from Kyoto Fan. Hope guys, you like it, and feel free to leave your comments or queries :)
Sumimasen, for these photos, is kinda heavy.. and Arigatou Gozaimasu =^ - ^= for your patience.
On past April 28, we had the pleasure of presenting to all the Kyoto Fans in Kyoto and the Kansai Area the Kyoto Fan Event Maiko Spring 2012! On this day we enjoyed the breathtaking performances of Geiko Miehina and Maiko Fukunae. Among the guests, we were glad to see more than 300 Foreigners and Japanese people, all sharing the love and interest in the culture and traditions of this amazing city.
At the event we had the chance to see traditional dance and music by the Geiko and Maiko, and also the opportunity to hear about their daily life, make questions to them, and enjoy a little "Ozashiki Asobi" (dinner games) at the end.
So, for those living abroad or who couldn't join us at the event, I would like to share this album filled with the good memories and feelings we all enjoyed.
Before each show, the room became full of Kyoto Fans, all with a smile on their face, waiting for the wonderful show that was about to begin.
As promised, Geiko Miehina and Maiko Fukunae made their entrance and after a brief pause, started to perform, stealing the hearts of all the attendees.
First, Maiko Fukunae performed the dance called "Kyo no Shiki"
Kyo no Shiki means the Four Seasons of Kyoto. For our show, she performed only two parts of the whole dance, the Spring and Summer act.
As you can see, for the Kyo no Shiki, Maiko Fukunae uses a Fan.
As she dances, she represents through her movements the beautiful Sakura Blossoms at Higashiyama and the refreshing evening air during Summer at the Kamogawa River.
After the first dance, Geiko Miehina and Maiko Fukunae introduce themselves and made a brief explanation about the song.
Then, they continued with the presentation, now performing the traditional "Gion ko-uta".
As you can see, the Gion Ko-Uta Maiko Fukunae uses her bare hands to do all the gestures and movements included in the dance.
One part of the song talks about the "Darari Obi" or cascade belt used by the Maiko. This belt is about 7 meters long.
Traditional Japanese dance is quite different from the dances we see in the west but, its magic captivates the heart of all the people watching.
After the dance part, Geiko Miehina and Maiko Fukunae told us a little about their daily lives.
Maiko Fukunae told us that her mother didn't want her to become a Maiko, but her father was really happy about it. And as a surprise, this day was Geiko Miehina's birthday! So, we all sang Happy Birthday to her.
They also explained to us that it is easier to walk on the Okobo (the shoes on the left) than it looks. Nevertheless, Maiko Fukunae has experienced a few falls on them.
The last part of the show was the Diner Games or Ozashiki Asobi. This time they showed us the famous Konpira Fune Fune.
The game is quite simple. Following the shamisen rhythm you take turns to take a small object. If the object is in the table, you have to show your open hand, but if the other takes the object, you have to show your closed hand.
In my opinion, this was the part the people attending enjoyed the most; everyone was happy and clapping at the rhythm of the music.
I would like to thank the event Sponsor, KYOTO DESIGN HOUSE for all the support and for helping us to make this event possible.
And of course, I want to thank all the people that joined us on this splendid afternoon. Also want to thank all the staff that kindly came on their free day to help with the reception, drinks and taking photos for the album. We all had a wonderful time! Hope to see you at our next Kyoto Fan Event!
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