[Blog] 30th of August – Final days in Japan

Final days in Japan

There are still 2 days in Japan I haven’t told you about! The festival was the 10-12 of august, last blog post was about the 10th.

On the 11th we started with sightseeing in Kochi castle. Very beautiful! After lunch we split up in pairs to experience the yosakoi festival together with a team from Kochi. Me and Oushou had the pleasure to join the team Central, which is very cool! Central is a team that has existed for a long time and are very good. Waiting for their performance with them was like seeing the festival backstage, sitting in a street next to the parade street that was full with waiting yosakoi teams. When they performed we got to ride in the truck playing music, called Jikatasha in Japanese. They had real instruments on the truck that played the music live! Standing up there watching them perform was so amazing! We really got to feel the atmosphere.

From Central’s truck

After the performance we continued watching other teams performing. Yosakoi is fun because it can be so many different things, all the dances we saw were so different. We also got to try being “competition venue staff”, meaning giving medals to good dancers. Nervous but fun! They were all so good, it was hard to choose who to give the medals too.

After dinner it was time for the biggest, coolest, most important performance: On Otetsuji in the evening. We lined up along the street before the parade street, other teams in front and behind us. The sky was dark, but the spotlights on the parade street was so bright. If you peeked between waiting trucks you could see silhouettes of dancers against the bright lights and hear their music. All waiting dancers were filled with anticipation, so strong you could feel it in the air. Finally it was our turn. It went really well, and was so much fun! This time we could hear our music, luckily. I enjoyed it fully, and I think everyone else did too.

This was sadly our last performance with Yosakoi Kokusai Koruy Tai. We had a dispersal ceremony after were the leaders thanked us for joining and we them.

Oushou and WHOlock with some of the other ambassadors

The 12th was the last full day in Japan. We started with visiting a Buddhist temple at Godaisan mountain and got to try meditating. The temple was very beautiful, tatami rooms with sliding doors opened up to a traditional garden.

One of the reasons we came to Kochi was to be formally appointed ambassadors at a ceremony. This was held midday at the Kochi castle stage. Very formal, all of us lined up on the staged, got a diploma by the governor and bowed. Each team also got a really big flag which had to be sent home by mail as it couldn’t fit in the luggage.

We spent the entire afternoon watching performances. The last day it is only the best teams performing and everyone was so good! Really inspiring. Before dinner we got some time to relax in an onsen, because dinner was an important, formal, affair with lots of important people. We both talked to a lot of different people, dancers, festival organisers from Tokyo , business men from Kochi, and many others. Mostly Oushou since I don’t speak japanese but I did my best. The organisers had made a video with material from the first two days which was very fun to see. The evening ended with everyone dancing a traditional dance together which was very fun.

Some of the ambassadors had a goodbye party at the hotel were we made plans for future work and cooperation. After intense packing and some sleep me and Oshou left the hotel before 6 am following morning.

So that was our Japan trip! Really great, meeting new people, seeing amazing performances, dancing in Kochi again and lots of tasty food! I look forward to returning next year with our international team!

Thank you everyone in Kochi for making this experience possible!

WHOlock, Ho-san from Central and Oushou

 

– WHOロック？

WHOlock

[Blog] 18th of June

Today Oushou and Peanuts met with Ikeda-san and Sugimoto-san from Kouchi prefectures tourism department. They came all the way from Japan to meet with us and take about a future project Zyka is participating in.

Kouchi is working hard to spread yosakoi across the world and as all of us in Zyka love yosakoi this is of course something we want to support and participate in!

White it is still too early to reveal all that much about the project Zyka is very happy to get a chance to participate and we work hard to spread yosakoi in Sweden and the rest of Europe.

More news about the project we are participating will come, so keep and eye out for that!

Thank you Ikeda-san and Sugimoto-san for coming all the way to see us. We look forward to meeting you again.

You can follow their work on their facebook page.

– 王将

Oushou

 

Performances in Kouchi! The (almost) complete collection

This is a collection of videos of our performances in Kouchi this summer. It is not every performance we did but there is at least one video from most of of them. They are recorded by various people, both within Zyka and people in the audience. As we most of the time danced three to six times during one parade performance we have included multiple videos from the same stage.

If you want to see photos from the trip you can find them here and here.

First Day

Mama Contest Stage – 万々競演場 Zyka Yosakoi’s recordings
First time

Second time

Third time

Saenba Contest Stage – 菜園場競演場
Recording by kiku0456

Outesuji Main Contest Stage South Side – 追手筋本部競演場　南側
Recording by ザ・よさこい祭り

 

Second Day

Masugatachiiki Contest Stage – 升形商店街競演場
Zyka Yosakoi’s recording

Recording by よさこいブロードキャスター　Supi

Recording by　まちこ町子

Recording by　kojikojihacojicoji

Obiyamachi Performance Stage – 帯屋筋演舞場
Recording by uun095221

Central Park Contest Stage – 中央公園競演場
Zyka Yosakoi’s recording

Recording by kazehikitanuki

Central Kouchi Castle Stage – 高地城演舞場
Zyka Yosakoi’s recording

Two of our performances in Kouchi!

We have now uploaded to videos of our performances in Kouchi this summer. Both of them are taken from on top of a truck which is way they are a bit shaky, but the view is good so please take a look if you have time!

Second day, first parade

 

Second day, first stage

The Japan trip in photos – part 2

The rest of the photos from Japan. Going from the first day of the festival until the return to Sweden. If you want to see the photos from the first part of the trip click here.

 

Morning of the 10th of August, the first day of the festival, was busy with preparations. Here Park getting her hair done.

And here it is done!

Some members of the International tea-group at Kouchi University helped out as staff during the festival.

Park and Guntai in the bus, waiting for our first performance.

WHOlock in the bus with one of our flags on her shoulder.

Guntai and Sesshu.

Park and Guntai.

Group shot with two of the girls in Trump.

First time seeing the finished truck carrying our speakers, drinks, Satsui as well as lots of other stuff.

Tanuki, one of our older dancers.

The first parade!

Peanuts and Oushou during a radio interview they did.

Second parade!

Some of our dancers waiting for it to be our turn to dance.

Komachi.

Guntai during stage practice.

WHOlock, Iruka?, Park and Guntai.

Zyka’s oldest and youngest members, Komachi and Iruka?, in the bus between two parades.

Zyka’s first members, Peanuts and Oushou, in the bus.

Our badass members, Park and Guntai, in the bus.

Our best flag-team, WHOlock and Amigu, in the bus.

Sesshu and our wonderful staff, Manager-san and Satsui, in the bus.

Mendel, our guest dancer from Zaccu Baran.

The storm winds are building up.

The humans fighting against the forces of nature.

Amigu and Park waiting for the next parade to start.

Nacchan, the youngest participant in our group, and Lee-san, a Korean exchange student.

Iruka? and Guntai.

Katsuta, Shou, Hikaru, Mendel and Maru. Shou and Maru where in-charge of the big flag in the back of the parade.

Manager-san, who carried our things and made sure we got enough water even if it meant she had to fight for it.

Second day of the festival, here the students from Kouchi University who danced with us and helped out as staff.

Katsuta with a cicada he caught.

Not quite sure cicadas are meant for eating.

Time for live MC! Here Oushou on top of the truck.

Ready to start.

Park went with spikes in her hair for the second day.

Break-time.

Peanuts getting interviewed by TV.

Amigu and WHOlock running for the jump as the storm begins.

You can never take too many group shots in Japan.

And another one.

Komachi was photographed for her costume, we think, while standing on a thing that turned around so they could take photos from all angels.

Oushou in front of the truck before the first stage performance.

You can dance yosakoi no matter what age you are. Here some children from a team we passed by on the street.

Zyka during a break, in search of food.

Parade with Kouchi castle in the background.

Oushou and Guntai with two of the girls from Trump.

Probably the shortest parade we did, and the only one we did in a circle.

At one place we were suddenly informed that we could only dance in two lines instead of the four we usually do. Somehow we managed to do it even if we were unprepared.

Our last parade in the festival, though we didn’t know it at the time.

Along the streets people were sitting eating their dinner while watching.

Oushou with two of the younger girls in Trump while waiting for the bus to arrive.

And of course, a group shot.

On the 12th our part of the festival was over so we spent the day watching other teams perform. Park meet a dancer with almost the same hairstyle as she had the previous day. Later on we also went to see him perform.

It took some running but some of us managed to see Honiya perform on the main parade stage.

Kunpei Izumi, whom we had the chance to greet at the Honiya store noticed us in the audience. We were very happy to get a chance to see him, and the rest of Honiya, perform live.

Some of the dancers in Honiya.

Honiya is one of the best teams in Kouchi and as expected their performance was really good.

Torukku, another really good team we saw.

One of the teams had a very small flag dancer. He was very cute, very serious in his dancing.

in the evening it was at last time to break up the group as we went of in different directions. Kikuchi-sensei, a professor from Kouchi University who helped us a lot, came to send us of.

And with one last group shot we officially closed Zyka’s part of the Japan trip. The organisers, here in the front line holding blue cards, received thank you cards with amazing drawings in them from the others.

While one group headed to Tokyo the rest remained for some more hours. Here Komachi, Guntai, Peanuts and WHOlock on Harimaya bridge, a bridge voted to one of the most disappointing bridges in Japan.

WHOlock, and Sesshu, took part in a performance called “Minna de yosakoi project” with dancers from many different teams. Iruka? and Oushou were supposed to take part as well but as the performance was moved due to the typhoon they weren’t able to.

On the 18th of August all except Guntai and Peanuts, meet up in Osaka to head home. But before going to the airport we went to Sweets paradise, a cake buffet. Here WHOlock and Satsui.

Iruka? resting for a bit after eating.

Komachi enjoying some soft ice cream.

And of course you can leave Japan without doing Purikura, photo boots where you get to decorate the photos. Here Oushou, Iruka?, WHOlock and Komachi.

It can be quite fun.

Iruka? helping Park and Amigu with their nail-painting while waiting for it to be time to go to the airport.

The view from Osaka station just was we were about to leave.

And finally, back in Sweden. And without loosing any of our luggage as well!

 

 

The Japan trip in photos – part 1

There is much to tell about our time in Japan. It was fun, tiring, chaotic, fantastic, wet, unbelievable, thrilling, hot, exhausting and just so many other things. At some point, preferably soon, we will try to write about it but at the moment I think we’ll let the photos speak. Due to lack of internet we couldn’t upload many while away and so, now that we are back home again, here you go, Japan in photos.

Photo exhibition at Arlanda Airport.

Häggsson sisters at Dubai Airport

Transferring in Dubai.

Tired Satsui

In Japan at last! Group shot with Sesshu

Iruka? and Guntai at Osaka International Airport

Sightseeing in Okayama and Kurashiki

Iruka?, Guntai and WHOlock at the train station

Amigu and Park on the train

Zyka’s first karaoke!

We met up with Basho, one of our old members who is now working in Okayama! Here with Oushou and WHOlock.

Dinner together with Sesshu and his father Tanuki. Here with Oushou and WHOlock.

A rainy visit to Korakuen, one of Japan’s three most beautiful gardens, together with Sesshu and his father Tanuki.

And then it was time for watching the performances!

At the Uraja festival in Okayama face-paintings are very important. And of course, smiling as well!

Dancers at Uraja festival in Okayama

Dancers at Uraja festival in Okayama.

In the evening we watched the big firework show, and did an interview for Yomiuri Shimbun on the same time.

More fireworks!

And the next day it was time for us to dance, not as Zyka but as a part of an open team. Here WHOlock and Oushou during dinner break

Sesshu and his father during dinner break.

It rained a lot in Okayama. Here Guntai and Komachi seeking cover for a bit.

And then we were supposed to leave for Kouchi, except all trains and buses were cancelled due to the typhoon. So we stayed in Okayama and practised.

Oushou inspecting the others dancing.

We got to try our new flags for the first time! In the background you can see Okayama castle.

Two days after we originally planned we could finally leave for Kouchi.

We took the train half way were a bus came and picked us up. Here the Häggsson sisters waiting for the bus to arrive.

Oushou with the bus that came to pick us up. It had our name on it! Many thanks to Mr. Nishimori for arranging it.

The road to Kouchi, it rained a lot during some parts.

Once in Kouchi we started of with practice, this time together with the two students of Kouchi University who were to dance with us at the festival.

And during whatever spare time we had we fixed the last bits of our costumes. Even though we had the actual costumes order made there were still some things that needed to be fixed.

In Kouchi we were treated with dinner by Mr. Nishimori. It was a fantastic dinner and we all received beautiful coral bracelets, one of Kouchi’s specialities.

The next day we had the chance to meet the Governor of Kouchi prefecture. Here together with Sanomiya and Sesshu waiting for the taxis coming to collect us.

When we arrived we were greeted with this banner, we felt almost like some sort of stars.

Together with the Governor (middle of the front row), Mr. Nishimori (middle of the back row) and two professors of Kouchi University (to the right of the Governor).

Beside the glamorous stuff we also had a truck to decorate for the parade. Here Iruka? and Satsui paining Midwinter.

Peanuts and Amigu doing the team logo.

There was an article about us in the local newspaper on day.

Sanomiya together with Amigu, sawing, and Park, holding the umbrella.

Satsui doing the details on Springtime.

We ate most of our meals in the University cafeteria.

WHOlock and Amigu, our first flag team, practising with the flags.

Katsuta, a student of Kouchi University who helped with the painting as well as danced with us during the festival.

When the painting was done we went for some sightseeing in Kouchi together with some of students of Kouchi University. Here Oushou in front of the Yosakoi shrine, praying for the rain to stop.

Back at the University Sesshu and Katsuta were working on putting the different parts of the trucks decorations together.

Like this! Here is the first parts of First Snow and Midwinter put together.

Some parts of First Snow and Midwinter put together in the front with Springtime in the back of the photo.

Iruka? and Guntai inspecting the progress with Sesshu in the back.

Kouchi is really a Yosakoi city, there are even the image of Naruko in the pavement!

Sceptical Guntai in the house we stayed in at Kouchi University.

Of course we trained as well. The University were kind enough to let us use a practice room so we could practice even when it was heavy rain.

On the 9th of August the dancers from Trump arrived. During lunch some of us went to the Honiya store in the arcade where we were lucky enough to get to speak with the store’s vice store manager! She is a very kind and nice person whom we hope to meet again.

Oushou and Peanuts together with Kunpei Izumi, designer in Honiya, at the Honiya store. We were very honoured to be able to greet members of such a famous team. Thanks for taking the time to talk with us!

Mendel, Iruka?, WHOlock, Oushou, Peanuts and Maru at the Honiya store. We also got the chance to met Mayumi Izumi, the store manager.

We received T-shirts, pretty paper bags and booklets from the movie “You Dance With the Summer”, in which Honiya participates, at the store. As we are all big fans of both the movie and of Honiya it made us very happy!

To be continued!