Sunday was when the Gosechi dances were going to be held, so I decided to go and see them, since it was only a 10-minute walk and it was the last day that they were going to be held. I got there a little late, and the crowd was huge, but I was still able to see the dancing itself. The dancing and music more closely resembled the dancing in Noh or other traditional Japanese styles, and the kimono were beautiful, all in a Heian-era court style (I believe). Instead of the main melodic line being carried by reed instruments, today it was given by a group of male singers in something resembling Gregorian chants. After the dance was over, I stopped at one of the little areas set up within the palace grounds where they were serving tea, and got a very tasty red-bean ‘cake’ and a cup of matcha for only 500yen, which is a steal. After that I perused the various souvenir stands and headed home. While on my way there, however, I got a message from a friend of mine saying that she had tickets to go to the ballet with two other girls, but was feeling too ill to go. After some deliberation I decided to go, and had a very good time. It turned out that it was a sort of exhibition of the best dancers from various ballet schools in Kyoto, and even if they were not professionals, they certainly seemed to be of high caliber. The final two groups were, I thought, the best, with beautifully choreographed groups of nearly synchronized dancers weaving in and out of gorgeous symmetrical tableaus. Not a bad day, considering I’d had no plans going into it.
-No matter where you go in Japan, there will be somewhere to buy Omiyage. At the Imperial Palace there were massive varieties of traditional snacks, pickles and tea, as well as photos of the Royal family and fine stationary.
-I actually really like ballet, maybe I’ll go see it again sometime.
-On Hina Matsuri or the dolls’ festival, the traditional drink is some heated mixture of soft rice, milk and ginger that is very tasty and apparently rather good for your health.
-This is my 40th entry, scary huh?
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