Botanical Garden Japanese Festival 2018

Like last year, I attended the Japanese festival at our “local” botanical garden, although this time I went with my friends (Ginger, Chronic, and Chronic’s as-of-yet-alias-less brother) instead of Husband. Also unlike last year, we went on a Sunday instead of Saturday, and thus we had different experience options.

I just re-read that opening paragraph and already I find myself to be decidedly boring. Gotta step up my game, somehow. But what can I do if it’s just that kind of dayyyyyyy????

Yeah, I dunno. But moving on.

To begin, we arrived at around noon and ATE! Just like last year, there were dozens of choices for authentic cuisine, and it was delicious. I again got a bento box with teriyaki chicken, takoyaki, and the like, while my friends sampled other wares. I bought a Ramune for Husband, because of course, and I stuffed it in my purse as we meandered on.

I didn’t cosplay; as much as I wanted to run an informal trial of my recently complied Trisha Elric, it was just TOO HOT. (Please, fall, arrive…) I did dress up, however, in some sort of cute street fashion, which both made me feel happy AND caused Ginger’s kind neighbor to think I was “crossplaying” (as he struggled to find the word “anime.”)

After eating, we wandered a bit, stumbling across what could only be described at some sort of Japanese street performance. And it was fun! The man did some work with tops, particularly, that was very impressive.

At one point, we stopped off at the bridge to watch beebee koi, and it seems as though they’d been fed so much that they were quite unconcerned about the food being tossed their way. Ah, well, good on them. Self control is a virtue, right?

(Okay, so maybe they are absolutely not babies, but hey, they’re so cute, see!)

Carrying on in this similar “look what we saw” fashion, while we missed the ice sculpting, we did see the sculpture melting away in the heat. The water flowed like small streams down the side of the structure, and it was honestly kind of amazing (also because just LOOKING at something that frozen in the heat was a relief, to be honest).

Below you’ll find the Omikoshi that is carried through the gardens as a sort of festival parade along with an explanation as to why as much is done.

And though I’d already seen it, Ginger had never been privy to the tea ceremony, so we watched it once again.

All in all, it was a fun time, but nothing else was much to speak of; I don’t know that I’ll go back next year, though it did make me miss anime conventions all the more…

Until I blog again,

Shoujo

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