in this week’s newsletter: participating in my first matsuri, learning to play traditional instruments, and sharing my favourite video i’ve made so far
dear penpals -
a few weeks ago i wrote a newsletter about my experience harvesting rice (old newsletter here!), and although the rice has been cut, dried, separated (and eaten!) there’s one thing left to do before saying goodbye to this season of harvesting - celebrating!
if you’ve ever had the joy of being in japan during the summertime (or if you’ve watched enough japanese dramas), you probably have either heard of or participated in the yearly 祭り [ma·tsu·ri] (meaning: festival) which is a big traditional celebration filled with dances, shows, parades, and processions.
but what many (myself included) might not know much about is the matsuri specifically held during the month of october (i know, this video and newsletter is long overdue hahah). and each neighbouring district of kamikatsu participates in their own 秋 [a·ki] (meaning: autumn) matsuri.
although aki matsuri is typically translated into ‘autumn festival’, i think the better translation is harvest festival which celebrates or commemorates the changing of the seasons, participates in traditional dance and music, and shows gratitude to Nature for the fruitful rice harvest that the season has brought.
and i love that these two things, harvesting and celebrating, go hand in hand.
growing up, i only visited japan during the summer season, so i never knew much about, let alone participated in, the aki matsuri. but this october, i got to celebrate at two different districts - 八重地 [ya·e·ji] and 坂本 [sa·ka·mo·to], and joined the 楽車 [da·n·ji·ri] which are large wooden carts, in the shape of a shrine or temple, used to hold musicians and traditional instruments that play during the aki matsuri, in 福原 [fu·ku·ha·ra] - my district!
despite using the same instruments, it was so much fun hearing each community’s danjiri play their own music, their own rhythm, their own expression of gratitude to Nature’s harvest (hopefully expressed at the beginning of the video) and even getting to participate in one myself. it was such a new experience to learn how to not only play, but read, traditional music.
and i failed. hard. and had no belief in my abilities to be able to perform live. but through the kindness (and patience) of elders and our twice a week practices (that always ended in good food and beer), i was really proud to be sitting in the danjiri with everyone to keep this tradition alive.
and i played, i celebrated, and felt a deep sense of gratitude for not only the plentiful harvest we had this season, but to also the people who invited me into this space. invited me into these traditions, these moments of celebration, of community.
i’m so excited to share this video with you because this really is one of my favourite videos i’ve made so far. there are so many memories from this matsuri i treasure deeply and i hope this video can capture even the slightest glimpse of how wonderful this experience was.
click on the image or the link to the video here.
close to 8 years ago, without enough local people who would and could volunteer to hold a festival, the matsuri in fukuhara was in danger of disappearing. and at one point it did. with only recordings of the danjiri instruments blasted on speakers, the matsuri didn’t happen. at least not in the same way it was held in the past.
but thanks to the dedication and care of a local (who knew that it was meaningful enough, important enough, to find a way to keep this tradition going) created a space that welcomed people - young and old, experienced and first-timers - to not only participate in the matsuri, but to also find community that exists among neighbours we might not have had the opportunity to meet before.
i’m grateful that this local leader was a visionary and saw something worth fighting for. i’m grateful for elders who taught others how to keep this tradition going. and i’m grateful for this aki matsuri tradition that i got to participate in, and now get to share with you - to continue to keep this memory alive and remind myself how important traditions are worth holding onto.
I love your stories and your vlogs! Especially the songs you. I would love it if you mention the song names in you vlogs from next time!
Oh my, Minaaaaa!!! I love the post, but the video is literally your best one so far! It is so full of emotions, it conveys so well the atmosphere, the people, the commitment, the beauty of the celebration, the music! So. Well. Done! Your storytelling abilities really get better and better, it's so fascinating to watch. This video made me happy, thanks for sharing your experience and the culture in Kamikatsu, plus kudos for the effort in rescuing traditions. It's all for the better: you look so dang cool playing drums! But I bet you could have been also dancing in the front! and I loved seeing you and Kana together and the other friends :) Wonderful