Saturday, March 1, 2008

Aya ~ Hina Matsuri

Whoops, fake-out. We did lots of other things before Charlie came, but he's coming up, I promise!

On the day after we got back from Fukuoka, Satomi was kind enough to offer to take us to Aya, a small town to the North of Miyazaki. She wanted to spend some time together before she leaves for her trip to Singapore, and suggested that we go and visit the Hina Matsuri festival. She even offered to provide Jillian with a kimono to wear, which was super sweet of her.


Satomi and Jillian in Aya, aren't they lovely?

Although Jill and I were kind of dazed from our Northwest Kyushu trip, we still had a fantastic time. I also got to meet Satomi's parents, although only briefly. (We stopped by her place to pick up some hair accessories) I was honestly a tiny bit jealous since I had dressed slightly boringly, but my envy didn't last. Satomi took us to a really cool traditional restaurant in Aya with really pretty and fancy food.

Rice, Miso Soup, and Croquettes

Ack... I forgot to take pictures until after I'd eaten most of the food... the presentation looks like it was pretty nice though, huh?

The Hina matsuri Festival, which I wrote about back here, happens in the springtime, so the weather was conveniently agreeable on Sunday. (It was especially good for Jill and Satomi, since kimonos are kind of hard to get around in.) There were lots of people out and about looking at all of the dolls, which were on display all throughout the town. There was even a map that you could stamp after you visited each spot, and the map specified which doll collections were owned privately (by families) and which ones were owned by companies or businesses in the area.

One of the company-owned doll collections

Something I noticed pretty quickly is that Jillian was attracting a lot of attention. After closer inspection, I realized that she was probably one of only a handful of foreigners in Aya, since it's a pretty small town, and definitely was the only one wearing a kimono. Pretty much every five minutes someone would approach us and compliment Jillian on how lovely she was. We heard 「ああ、かわいい!」 (Wow, cute!) 「きれいな!」 (Beautiful!) 「すてき!」 (Nice!) more times that day than I could count. I think that Jill was a little embarrassed, but she was definitely having a good time. I couldn't help but smile and feel really fortunate to be so close to someone so bright and lovely.


Satomi and Jillian at one of the doll displays


Jillian being offered to come get some あめのわたあめ、almost literally "cotton candy"

One of the community centers was showing some really pretty kimonos, and also serving some special soup at a really inexpensive price. The town was also littered with street vendors selling handmade wares. It was had really nice community feel that's hard to find in big cities.


A public kimono display - the kimonos were owned by families living in Aya

Childrens' photo spot - none of us could easily fit into these, least of all the ladies in their kimonos

One of the collest doll collections we saw was one owned by a local middle school. Not only were the dolls impressive, but they'd also made a neat little mountain landscape for the dolls to sit next to.


A landscape like this would cost hundreds of dollars in a store! Maybe even over a thousand!

Aya also provided a great opportunity to practice Japanese. While Jillian and Satomi visited the restroom, (Which is quite an endeavor in those kimonos...) I chatted with a father from Oita who had brought his wife and two daughters to come see the dolls. While with Jill and Satomi, we also gave a woman directions who was looking for a particular doll display. (Giving the directions was easy, trying to figure out which one she wanted to go to was the hard part)

After visiting the dolls, we went to Aya castle, which isn't a huge castle, but was still neat to go visit.

The mini-bridge Aya Castle - on the grounds is also an international art museum

I'm not familiar with the history of Aya Castle, but there were still some neat exhibits inside.

Wait a minute, the symbol on this chestplate looks familiar...

These men are made of wax. They don't speak.

Castle interior - it was very creaky and drafty


These stairs are steep and slippery. They were challenge for me even, so I can't imagine what it must have been like for those in more restrictive clothing. (Again, sorry, girls in kimonos!)

Luckily, despite the steep stairs and poorly-fitting slippers. (Visitors in the castle are provided with slippers, which are kind of dangeorus large) the three of us made it out alive. Props to Jill and Satomi for surviving! It was really neat to be able to experience Hina Matsuri first-hand, especially in a small town like Aya.


Oh! Jillian got attacked by the blink-monster. :(

Whew! Four days in a row of traveling! It was really nice to see Satomi again before we both left Japan, though. I'm really grateful that Jillian has so many good friends here in Miyazaki. As I prepare to leave, I can take comfort in knowing that she'll be well taken care of.

Coming soon: Charlie arrives!

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