Amethyst-chan's Day on Bon Odori, part 3

Today we conclude Amethyst-chan’s Day on Bon Odori series. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have!

Traveling back home, I stumbled across others as they were talking: there was another show in town.  They mentioned it was Okamisan and another shinzo from the Yukaku Ryukin.  My ears perked up in excitement as I rushed to where they were performing as I wanted to see my Okamisan perform again.  Quickly gathering my kimono, I strayed towards the place they would perform.

Here is where it got complicated; the directions were tricky since it was dark at this time. Barely could see my hand in front of me. As I proceeded closer to the sea, I could hear loud seagulls and saw more lanterns in the far distance. Gathering my kimono, I came to Sengoku Ochaya and after quietly entering in I saw a small library of scrolls; Others headed upstairs to the upper level of the building.  Following slowly behind, I climbed the stairs and I kept going up. 

There I saw Okamisan kneeling as she greeted each visitor.  I did my best not to distract her since I knew her attention was on the guests.  Either way I smiled and respectfully bowed to her. Sneaking behind the many guests as each was sitting down at the tables near the wide stage and spotting a free cushion next to an elegant geisha I sat down.

The guests were sitting comfortably on their cushions and the lanterns’ glow flickered brightly into the night as Okamisan began preparing for the performance. The shinzo was dressed in splendid kimono with her long sleeves flowing and Okamisan began to speak as she as was playing her shamisen.  Okamisan started with explaining what the meaning of Bon was an occassion for greeting and holding memorial services of those that departed ancestors.  On Bon the souls are released from Yomi, the land of the dead.  Our beloved descendants are able to come back to visit as they eat.  It made me wonder what the ancestors ate. Only shaking the thought off my eyes returned back to the stage. 

The lovely shinzo was dancing as Okamisan went on to tell a story related to the meaning of Obon.  It was one of a distraught mother as she didn't want her daughter to live a life that she had in her past; the tale had a joyful ending though.  As it was coming to an end Okamisan gave a thankful bow to everyone for listening to the tale. I applauded for the music, the dance and storytelling and everyone was cheering for Okamisan and the shinzo. 

She and the shinzo turned to put things away.  Waiting until all had left she came over to me smiling.  Bowing in respect to her and she turned to the geisha that was sitting next to me, who smiled bowing respectfully to Okamisan.  A bit embarrassed that I did not know, but Okamisan introduced to me her as the most senior furisode shinzo, Rinya-san.  Wincing my eyes closed, I bowed to Rinya-san and smiling Rinya-san bowed back to me.  This was the third person I met from the Yukaku Ryukin.  

So thus this concludes my long adventurous day throughout Bon Odori.

Thinking of all the friends I made this week, some are really interested in and share the same fondness I have for the Japanese culture. I do have respect for many cultures even though my heritage is not of theirs.  Still, SL has provided me this chance to be who I want to be.  I enjoy doing so many wonderful things in SL and never once have I ever regretted it.

~Ame chan.

Amethyst-chan's Day on Bon Odori, part 2

Here is part II of Amethyst-chan's Day on Bon Odori. Enjoy!
~ Okamisan Aisya

After my trip to Yoshiwara,  I decided that I wanted to see another friend I recently made named Tsukuyomi sama.  His home is Matsubaya Ageya and the Yukaku of Old Yoshiwara, where he lives there with his family and friends.  I did try to sign up to join there and that is how I met Tsukuyomi sama and his wife Lady Somenosuke.  They are the sweetest couple anyone could ever hope to meet.

Bon Odori at Matsubaya

Before I get ahead of myself, I want to mention that it was getting close to being late as I approached their home.  In the back I saw bright lanterns and heard others chatting loudly with each other.  So, going around their ageya through the side gate and climbing up the pathway I pushed through cheering crowds of their friends laughing among themselves: Matsubaya was hosting it's first Bon Odori festival.

Walking on I bumped into another familiar face, Amatsu sama.  Silently bowing, since I rudely bumped into him, and then smiling as I kept my attention on trying to find my friend Tsukuyomi sama.  Preceding into the Ageya, I removed my wooden sandals again. I bowed humbly as others went past me. I saw Tsukuyomi sama pop his head from a sliding screen and he seemed to be in costume.  Waving at me, he pointed to the next screen where others were going in. He kept telling me to follow them as he slammed the screen closed. Following others in to see a small stage, I turned to the side to look in the back: there was another table with floating bowls and a steamy pot sizzling.

Matsubaya Yagura Dance

Here, slowly I crossed the room to sit at the table.  Kawhack!  Noise came from behind from the screen on the stage. Loud applause came from the others in the small room as they greeted the stunning couple walking up to the stage.  My eyes darted back to the stage to the three actors dressed in Heian era kimono! Tsukuyomi sama sat on the other side next to another beautiful performer; they were so bunched up with so many stacks of kimonos on their bodies.

One of the performers I noticed was Lady Somenosuke sama, with her beautiful kimono flowing as she gracefully walked.  Turning around to kneel you could see the details woven into her silk kimono. I was amazed at how spectacular the kimono looked on each person.  They knelt on their knees waiting for the music to begin and when it started, each performer stood up slowly and danced for the guests. During the dance, I decided to take one of the bowls and eat since my stomach was grumbling.

Matsubaya Yagura Dance, Two

Enjoying the dancing, I swayed with the music as it ended.  Everyone clapped after the performance which we then learned was called 'Yagura Dance.'  So heading out I went out to enjoy the rest of the Bon Odori Festival they had available. I also tried fishing as well talking to others.  I saw that the sun was setting and I thought to myself that it was best to head back home. Once again, I bade farewell and I was off.

Next week we will conclude this series of posts with part III of Amethyst-chan's day on Bon Odori. 

Amethyst-chan's Day on Bon Odori, part 1

In a special two part blog post, Amethyst-chan will be sharing her experiences during Bon Odori. Enjoy!
~Aisya



There are so many wonderful festivals that happened today, for itwas the last day of Bon Odori. Today was mainly getting the courage inside to mingle with others.  We all get the fear sometimes when you go silence; at the same time you can deny being bored!

So I decided to adventure out from the Yukaku Ryukin today, which is where I am learning to train to become, or should say to aspire to be, a beautiful Oiran.  Under the tutelage of my new elegant oneesan Tsuyu-san.  Eeeeye! With her beautiful kimono and her painted white makeup, she makes me very proud to be her imouto.  Okamisan has chosen wisely to put us together. *Smiles as she lowers her head in a bow.*

Tsuyu-san

I was greeted by my good friend Nick san who was by chance visiting me from before hand.  Wanted to tag along with me to see Little Yoshiwara. I did manage to hear a Kimono class was being taught at the Ochaya of Little Yoshiwara. So with my wooden sandals clacking on the pavement I decided to visit.  There I saw old friends: many patrons, minarai, maiko, and others. I saw the armor clad Kadaj-sama who was the local samurai there.  

Nick-san

Ah, then Sayu san the brilliant, sparkling butterfly... I usually think of her that way since she is an inspiration to many young minarai.  Now the reason why I mention about Sayu san.  She did the greetings to guests and introductions for the sensei would be teaching the Kimono class.  A young minarai who adorns ebony with dazzlingly cranes surrounding her kimono.  Her name was Yumi san, a dear friend to Sayu san.

Yumi-san

She starts off by explaining each history of the kimono, ranging from how it was created to where it stands still to this very day.  She explained the difference of colors that signified which season to wear the kimono, coordinating to the celebrations of meetings, festivals, and so on.   As for the descriptions of each designs, most of symbols on the patterns have different meanings.  Explaining more, she directed our attention to her kimono. Yumi-chan said, "Believed to live for a thousand years and to inhabit the land of the immortals it is a symbol of longevity and good fortune.Hopefully that good fortune will help me make it to maiko. ^^"

After showing more of the kimonos to another wall.  She ended the class with questions and many were asked. Getting up from the cushion as I bade everyone and my friend Nick san, "sayonara and ja mate ne, minna san."   Bowing respectfully to everyone that I was delighted in taken a trip to Yoshiwara. 

Rebuilding Kurogawa Machi

About a week or two ago something struck the western part of the Aosagi Sim, in the Kurogawa Machi district leaving our town’s infrastructure badly damaged. We lost several of the buildings in the shopping district, the sidewalks were crumbled to ruins, trees were uprooted and even the waterfall beside the Yukaku Ryukin was reduced to a shadow of its former glory. Thankfully, the Shinto and the Buddhist temples were not impacted. 

Perhaps the most significant loss for this oiran was the
loss of the two bridges. The southwest region of Kurogawa
Machi was completely cut off from the shopping district! 

 Ojiisan has called the carpenters and the masonry men; the town is starting to look better than ever. The open field left in the wake of the disaster besides the Yukaku Ryukin now has a couple of new buildings, new stone pathways and even a stable for Yuriko and Cotton.

And, the bridges are back! We can now walk across the river to shop and the stroll is made all the more beautiful with the new sidewalks, designed by Ookuma-sama himself. Further, the random furniture and trash left lingering around the shopping district has been picked up and we can enjoy a clean space. Our home is looking better than ever and we hope you can join us soon!

Yukaku Ryukin Renovation

In our quest to find the balance between an intimate and a cramped entertainment area, the Yukaku Ryukin has been renovated. We are in the same building and enjoying our view of the sea off the coast of Aosagi. A few walls have been knocked down and the layout rearranged so that visitors can enjoy the feel of a cozy ozashiki space without having to crawl over the tables to get to a cushion.

Last week we opened the yukaku for informal entertainment and showed off the new design. The newest furisode, Tsuyu-chan, hosted for the first time and though she was a little nervous, she handled herself well. She was even able to convince one of our long time patrons to come up on stage and show off his dance moves. He looks so elegant in that obi, ne?

We had some extra wood and sand available, and decided to add a zen garden to the land between the yukaku and the nearby waterfall. Whenever we are able to, we hold lessons outside to enjoy the tranquility of this space. Perhaps we will hold a performance or two there in the future.

We hope the next time you visit Aosagi, you will stop by to see the new yukaku and take a moment to enjoy the serenity of our zen garden. 

Furisode Debut: Tsuyu-chan

About a week or two ago, Tsuyu-chan had her formal debut as a furisode shinzo of Shinmachi! As with Umeko-chan's debut before her, there were a few geisha on hand to entertain while Tsuyu-chan and I prepared for her big moment. My computer and the region of Aosagi were not getting along well that day, so I was unable to take pictures. However, James-sama was able to take these amazing pictures which far exceeded anything I could have taken! 

After we walked along the path surrounding the Yukaku Ryukin, we arrived at the performance venue. In the background you can see the dance platform: a floating island in the middle of the Yukaku Ryukin's lake.

Plum Rain danced to a series of poems concerning the beauty which flows from a summer rain on top of the floating island. Weather can be so unpredictable and it actually rained a few times during the performance! We're tough though and continued on; our patrons were nice and dry as they had umbrellas as gifts from Tsuyu-chan and Umeko-chan. 

The performance ended just at sunset. It was a beautiful day and I want to send out a huge thanks to James-sama for taking such amazing pictures. 

Furisode Debut: Umeko

This past Saturday we celebrated the debut of Umeko-chan. While the event was supposed to begin right on time, the oiran and the new furisode were late. It's a good thing a couple of geisha were on hand to offer entertainment until they could arrive!

 After the courtesans arrived, the geisha took a seat, allowing Umeko-chan to be the focus of everyone's attention. You can see the geisha above, seated at the first table on the left.

 The purple of her obi is meant to signify not only her name, but her role in the story as the spirit of the plum tree. It was truly a beautiful performance!

One final picture! You can see the beauty of her kanzashi and the intricacy of her hair and makeup here. It was so exciting to be a part of her debut as a furisode shinzo! I can't wait until Thursday when another one of our furi-shin's makes her debut!