Mikuni Fireworks Festival 2018 -Amazing Water Fireworks-

*The video above was taken at Mikuni Fireworks Festival this year (2018).

Summer is almost over, and fall is soon to be here.
There are many enjoyable things to do during summer in Japan such as going to
summer festivals and/or fireworks festivals, swimming in the ocean,
enjoying Nagashi-somen (eating somen noodles with chopsticks as it runs down of
water), climbing mountains, wearing Yukata (Japanese summer kimono), etc.

I myself enjoyed some of these events this summer. I would like to share one of them.
Watching Mikuni Fireworks Festival was amazing!
It was held on August 11th at Mikuni Sunset Beach in Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture.

It is an annual event which has been conducted since before World War Two.
Because it is the largest fireworks festival in Hokuriku region, many people come to
Mikuni every year. It is known that the venue of the Mikuni fireworks becomes
extremely crowded, people have hard time watching the fireworks, walking and/or
driving around it. Some people who want to watch it closely on the beach,
they even go to the beach early in the morning, stay there all day just to
watch the 1 hour of fireworks!

I arrived at the venue as the festival began and it was very crowded.
I thought it was too late to find a good spot to enjoy the fireworks.
I even thought that I wouldn’t be able to watch it.

Luckily, although I had to keep standing, I found a good spot where
I could see the fireworks clearly.

Now, I know that if you don’t mind watching it without sitting,
you can always find a good spot even after the fireworks festival starts.

As the fireworks festival began, large fireworks were set off with unique announcement
and music. As much I was impressed by the fireworks, it was enjoyable to hear
the unique announcement which had its own way of introducing each firework as well.

The powerful sound of the fireworks was impressive.

If you have a chance to visit Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture on August 11th,
I recommend watching the Mikuni Fireworks Festival.

T.F

Nomonhan Incident and "Henkyo, Kinkyo" written by Haruki Murakami

Recently, I watched a TV program, "NHK Special" featured 'Nomonhan Incident'.

While watching the program, I remembered that once I read a book by Haruki Murakami, which was written about his travel to Nomonhan. The title of the book is "Henkyo, Kinkyo" (Outland, Nearby land), which contains "Graveyard of irons in Nomonhan". 

Murakami saw a photo of "Nomonhan Incident" in a history book when he was an elementary school student. Since then, he couldn't get the image out of his mind for some reason.

Later, he read books about the incident when he found ones but the number of them wasn't so many. Then, he lived in America for several years.
At that time, surprisingly, he found old Japanese books about the incident in the library at Princeton University, where he belonged to. So he continued to read the books there, too. 

Murakami says that he has an extreme interest in the incident, perhaps because the war was very Japanese in a sense.

In the "Graveyard of irons in Nomonhan", the brutal way to Nomonhan, the vast plains in Mongolia, where trenches and tanks remain, his terrifying experience due to things that he brought back, are described in detail, which are like watching a documentary.

Murakami's belief about the war, of course, was worth reading, but also the depiction of a small female wolf's eyes prepared to die, which was shot by their guide, a Mongolian military man, was so realistic and sad that it made me cry. 
*It is said that, without fail, Mongolians kill wolves when they find one.(H.S)  

Scenery that could be used for samurai dramas

I sometimes go to Hasugaura in Awara City to practice drone.

The other day in Hasugaura, I had a strange feeling as if I entered an air pocket to see the contrast of the strong sunlight and the grass that grows strongly on the roadside. 

There are not any artifacts such as electric wires in the sky.

The road looks like as if an old-time farmer is going to come with a horse-drawn cart. So it could be used as a set of historical dramas as it is. 　

It doesn't seem like there is a house nearby with running water and electricity

as well as a high-speed Internet connection.      
TS

Okinawan traditional pottery "Yachimun"

Yachimun means pottery in Okinawan language.
Yachimun has a 400-year-old history, and it is a craft that represents Okinawa. That said, it is also very practical.

For yachimun, the soil of Okinawa is usually used. And yachimun is characterized by colored glaze such as indigo, amber and green made from Okinawan plants. Arabesque and fish patterns are the traditional ones for yachimun. And recently, on the basis of tradition but ones made by new sensitivities could often be seen.

Jiro Kinjo (1912-2004), who was a living national treasure, continued to make yachimun which people use in daily life, which was highly evaluated and he was chosen as a first living national treasure in Okinawa. Then, young generations followed him and now they became the leaders of modern yachimun.

Yachimun has simple colors, easygoing designs and warm textures, so you can use in daily life without hesitation. If you arrange Okinawan cuisine on a yachimun plate, you can feel a bit of Okinawan atmosphere. Among yachimun, there are many reasonable ones, so I recommend it as a token of travel. （H.S）

　　　　　　　　Yachimun which I collected every time I visit Okinawa

2018 Fukui Happy and Healthy National Sports Festival

Fukui Prefectural Government

**The poster of 2018 Fukui Happy and Healthy National Sports Festival is available only in Japanese page.

 

The 73rd National Sports Festival of Japan will be held in Fukui this year (2018) from September 29th to October 9th. It will be the second time for us to have it in Fukui Prefecture, 50 years from the last one. It is exciting to know that we only have one more month to go before the National Sports Festival starts. People in Fukui, we are looking forward to welcoming many people such as top athletes, their coaches and staff, and the people who will be watching the sports games from all over Japan.

 

 

Logo of the National Sports Festival of Japan

 

 

The National Sports Festival of Japan is the largest sports event in Japan and it is held annually in the form of an inter-prefectural competition. The main purposes of the event are to encourage people in Japan to do sports to maintain their health and improve their physical strength.

 

 

In Fukui City, I see many things with “Happiryu” the logo of 2018 Fukui Happy and Healthy National Sports Festival every day. I also see many people with uniforms with the logo walking around the city. They seem really busy with preparing for the event. Now, the atmosphere in Fukui to have the largest sports event is becoming higher and higher.

 

Since during the event, there will be many people from all over Japan visiting Fukui. They might need to ask directions to places they want to go, recommended food and/or places in Fukui and so on. As a Fukui resident, I will do my best to welcome them.

 

Let’s cheer Japanese top athletes!

 

T.F

Fukui City Central Park reopened fully for the first time in four years

"Horiwari (canal) Plaza", which reproduces the stone wall of Fukui Castle Ninomaru moat. The prefectural office built in the Fukui Castle ruins can be seen in the background.

"Sannomaru Nishibori (west outer moat) Waterscape" completed two years ago.

The fence that covered the southern part of the Fukui City Central Park was removed, and the park was fully reopened for the first time in four years. The outlook is better and brighter than before.

On the west side of the park, there is "Sannomaru Nishibori Waterscape", which reproduced the scenery of the moat with a shallow pond two years ago, and in addition to that, "Horiwari Plaza", where the stone wall of the same height as in Edo era was reproduced by the same construction method at that time was completed a few days ago. And the whole park was reborn with history as the theme.

The remaining problem to be solved, I think, is where the prefectural office in the center of Fukui castle ruins will move.

TS

"Melody Fair" written by Natsu Miyashita, which is filled with Fukui dialect

The main character, Yuino works as a beauty expert at a beauty counter in a shopping center in Fukui. Ms. Miyashita was born and lives in Fukui City, so when I wonder "Probably Ms. Miyashita modeled on that shopping center?", I feel the novel familiar to me.

The title "Melody Fair" means "Melody Fair" of The Bee Gees.

The song makes me feel nostalgic because it was the theme song of a British film

"Melody"(1971), which was very popular in Japan as well.

In the novel, the song is played on the closing time of the shopping center where Yuino works.

The story depicts, in a subdued manner, Yuino's work and life at home.

In the story, Fukui dialect gives it snap. 

I thought that people from other prefectures couldn't understand Fukui dialect,

but unexpectedly they may be able to understand in a context of a story.

Anyway, Ms. Miyashita used native Fukui dialect without reserve in the story.

Also, through the characters, she expressed disagreement with strange Japanese which young people use lately.

It was a novel which I could relax with Fukui dialect, brought back memories of

a childhood that everyone else has, and could realize the magic of makeup. (H.S)

Finally I could get a ring for practicing drone manipulating

Even though it looks as simple as it should be found at 100 yen shop, I was looking for it for a long time. But finally I got it at ep-models.com. It is a ring sold as a gate for drone racing, made of thin cloth and wire with an inner diameter of 35 cm and an outer diameter of 48 cm.

Hanging these on a microphone stand, I use them for practicing to manipulate drone with a small toy multicopter. But actually it's hard to fly the aircraft through the rings without touching them. If you do not control it accurately, then it crashes quite easily.
TS

The 38th Mikuni Fireworks Festival

Official Website for Mikuni Fireworks
Every August 11th, Mikuni Fireworks is held at Mikuni Sunset Beach in Mikuni-cho, Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture. It will be 38th annual festival and about 10 different kinds of fireworks blasting off into the night sky. It’ll last for about an hour.

①　2-shaku-dama firework
A round firework with a circumference of about 60 centimeters shell
The weight of the ball of the firework is 70 kilograms
Explodes at an altitude of 450 meters

②　Shaku-dama firework
A round firework with a circumference of about 30 centimeters shell
The weight of the ball of the firework is 8.5 kilograms
Explodes at an altitude of 300 meters
Creates an illumination 280 meters in diameter

③　The 7-gou dama firework
A round firework with a circumference of about 20 centimeters shell
The weight of the ball of the firework is 3 kilograms
Explodes at an altitude of 250 meters
Creates an illumination 200 meters in diameter

④　The 5-gou dama firework
A round firework with a circumference of about 14.4 centimeters shell
The weight of the ball of the firework is 1.3 kilograms
Explodes at an altitude of 200 meters
Creates an illumination 150 meters in diameter

⑤　The 4-gou dama firework
A round firework with a circumference of about 11.5 centimeters shell
The weight of the ball of the firework is 0.5 kilograms
Explodes at an altitude of 150 meters in diameter
Creates an illumination 120 meters in diameter

⑥　The 3-gou dama Star Mine (star mine is a rapid-fire series of fireworks) firework
A round firework with a circumference of about 8.6 centimeters shell
The weight of the ball of the firework is 0.5 kilograms
Explodes at an altitude of 150 meters in diameter
Creates an illumination 120meters in diameter
⑦　Star Mine (a rapid-fire series of fireworks) firework
⑧　Niagara Falls firework (fireworks which look like the Niagara Falls)
⑨　Set pieces firework
⑩　Underwater firework (4-gou dama firework~2-shaku-dama firework)


Here’s a video I took at Mikuni Fireworks Festival last year. Please enjoy it!
The venue is at the beach, so it was very soothing just to be there and it was enjoyable to see the spectacular fireworks.

If you have a chance to visit the Mikuni Fireworks Festival, enjoy it!

T.F

Official website for Mikuni Fireworks: The 38th Mikuni Fireworks 
*only available in Japanese

Recommendation of bakery in Fukui City ”bakerium”

The “bakerium” was opened last year. The breads are in a showcase and they sell them face-to-face. I think that it is hygienic and you don’t have to buy breads on impulse.

The inside of the shop has a nice atmosphere, which looks like some kind of a retro variety shop. The breads are made carefully and taste very good. (H.S)

The nameboard of the shop. It is stylish and doesn’t look like a bakery.

Around the entrance.

The logo looks nice on the bag.

The breads I bought that day. They gave me a spinach bread as a service.
Somehow I was very happy to get only a bread for free.

Animal Killer

Countryside scenery in Sue-machi, Fukui City

Electric fences are always installed around the fields near mountains as well as in Fukui. It is to prevent animals such as wild boar, deer, monkey, raccoon and masked musang from entering agricultural fields.

Power supply for electric fence

The power supply for the electric fence found on a roadside had the product name "Animal killer". 

Although it does not kill animals but just surprise animals by electric shock actually, it may not be appealing to farmers who suffer from animal damage unless the name has strength like that.

T.S

Restaurant you can enjoy Spanish and French dishes together in Fukui “Le PLUS MUCHO”

“Le PLUS MUCHO” opened last year. Two chefs, one who loves Spain and Spanish food and the other does France and French food, started the restaurant. The other day, I went there for lunch for the first time.

They have two ‘set-lunches’ and I ordered paella course. The other is meat dish. For dinner, they have tapas and homemade sausages, so you can have a pleasant meal with wine. (H.S)

Salad of seasonal vegetables (A friend put a marinade salmon on it.) 

Paella is served with an individual-sized pan.

Dessert ‘Nougat glace’ was delicious. 

It has a simple design with a high ceiling. 

The entrance 

Summer Festival Season -Yosakoi Icchorai Dance (Yosakoi style dance in Fukui)-

As I introduced in our previous blog that one of the main events in the first day of Fukui Phoenix Festival is Fukui Phoenix Fireworks, which will be held on August 3rd, 2018.
 
On the second day of the festival (Aug. 4th, 2018), you can definitely enjoy watching Yosakoi Icchorai Dance (Yosakoi style dance in Fukui) which is very popular among foreign people as well. It starts at 15:45 and ends at 21:20. 39 teams will be competing.

I asked a few foreigners who like the Yosakoi Icchorai Dance the reason why they like it so much. Most of them have said that they like it because the costumes are bright and colorful which catch the eye. They also have mentioned about how the aggressive type of music and the energetic dance are very exciting and overwhelming. One of them also said that the female dancers who wrap themselves with cloth called “sarashi” look very cool as well.


The video was taken last year (2017) at Fukui Phoenix Festival during the Yosakoi Icchorai Dance event.

The dancers had the bright and colorful costume waving a tall and large flag and shouting something in Japanese (I think they were saying “let’s go” or something like it). Their powerful synchronized dance was really overwhelming.

The Yosakoi Icchorai Dance started in 1999.
The members of the youth group of Fukui Chamber of Commerce learned about Yosakoi Soaran Festival which is a mixture of Hokkaido’s Soran Bhushi folk melodies and an energetic dancing event based on the Yosakoi Festival of Kochi Prefecture. The members of the youth group of Fukui Chamber of Commerce wanted to start a similar event for local residents to participate in the Fukui Phoenix Festival.
This was the start of Yosakoi Icchorai Dance.

There are only two rules and they are very simple.
The dancers must dance with “Naruko (clappers)” and they also must have phrases of Fukui’s Soran Bhushi folk melodies in the music they dance to.

If you have a chance to visit Fukui during summer time,how about enjoying the Yosakoi Icchorai Dance?

T.F