This is Team Alpha's blog for Round 4 of the Aloha Challenge, presented here as delivered to the judges.
～Cultural Shock Traveling～
→every thurs. from 8:00～9:00PM/毎週木曜 8時～9時
What our show is about
Join us every week as Scott and Seiji embark on an exciting adventure around the world! Travel along with them as they experience new cultural events! Watch and learn as they go to new places, eat strange foods, and make new friends! So come on already! It's time for our next location!
Fourth of July, a celebration of the independence of the USA, Seiji and Scott visited the capital of Washington DC!! What was Seiji's reaction after finding out America's history...?!
This week, Scott and Seiji went to Beijing, China to see the 2008 Olympics!! They enjoyed Chinese food with beautiful asian ladies...and even had an interview with the Olympic athletes!!
Hawaii, a place where many tourists enjoy visiting. For this week's story, Scott is going to experience a culture shock from the "Hawaiian Bon-Dance"! Don't miss it!!
Obon is based on the legend of Mokuren, a disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha, who alleviated his dead mother's suffering by performing community service. Having cared for the spirit of his mother, he was so relieved that he danced.
Obon is a Japaneses Buddhist custom to honor the departed spirits of one’s ancestors. It is origionaly held for a three day period around the 15th of August. At this time many people visit ancestral family places and clean their ancestor’s graves. It is said that at this time the spirits of the departed return to their family alters at this time. Many people prepare food offerings for their ancestors and decorate the butsudan (family alter) with flowers and chouchin (paper lanterns).
Many people who visit the Bon-Dance wear this, especially men. We found out that not a lot of people wear the yukata in Hawaii Bon Dance. Instead, they wear this "Happi".
Concession stands often sell many local favorites as well as traditional Japanese dishes. Some of the food items you will see include andagi (sweet fried dough), saimin (noodles in broth), shaved ice (snow cones), hamburgers, hotdogs, plate lunches, tsukemono (pickled vegetables), baked goods, yakisoba(fried noodles), and yakitori chicken. All these delicious foods help to give the Bon Dance a wonderful festival like feel.
In Japan, the lyrics and dance of bon dance are different depending on the district. However, immigrants from all over Japan brought many songs to Hawai`i. Hawai`i now has various songs to dance ranging from Touhoku to Okinawa. Because there are English lyrics too, it is easy for non-Japanese as well. Hawaiian people also sing their place names such as: “Waikiki” and “Ko`olau” other than Japanese locatios. We also add in words that we usually can't say in our everyday lives. Such words include feelings about upper class people (complaints about society), young adults singing for lovers, and children singing for pure joy.
The Yagura is a temporary tower for the festival or Bon dance. Ancient people used it for fighting to shoot guns or arrows from. For Bon dance, singers and drummers use it to play music. Dancers sometimes too stand in the yagura.
Shishimai/獅子舞
In ancient Asia, people started the lion dance because they believed that it could stop starvation and infectious diseases. After that, the lion dance has been used at celebrations and festivals.
There were many Japanese hand-made bags and blankets at the bon dance. The Japanese and Hawaiian cultures were mixed together; it was very interesting.
Summer months in Hawaii means it’s time for the annual Obon Dance Festivals. The Obon Dance Festivals are held every weekend at various Buddist Temples around the island.
July 4 & 5 7:15 p.m. Moiliili Hongwanji Temple, 902 University Ave.(949-1659)
The number of Japanese in Hawai`i is over one-third of the entire Hawaiian population. The highest population is Okinawen. As a result, Okinawa’s type of dancing is famous in Hawaii. The main people worshiping Buddhist in Hawaii came from Okinawa, so their influence to Hawaiian Bon dance is huge.
The Gunjyo dance is one of the easiest types of Bon dance. There are eight types of dances; each is very easy. You can master the dance within twenty minutes if you observe others carefully.
Memorial Service/法事
Memorial service is a Buddhist event done for the deceased. From the day of their death, we count to the 49th day, one-shu-ki (the first year mark), and two years after that is three-kai-ki (the third year mark). From three-kai-ki, we include the year of death and count, seven-kai-ki, thirteen-kai-ki, seventeen-kai-ki, twenty-three-kai-ki, twenty-seven-kai-ki, thirty-three-kai-ki, and fifty-kai-ki.
