Ahh, The Sound of Chinese... Bagpipes?

I just sat down to continue writing about my adventures in Kyoto when my doorbell rang. It was one of my neighbors, Endoh-san, inviting me to watch the upcoming fireworks display at Kumamoto Castle with her from her 3rd floor balcony. As I discovered twenty minutes later when I went to her balcony, not only was she graciously offering her fantastic view of the Castle and the fireworks, she had set up a small table with a bottle of red and a delicious dish of stewed tomatoes, calamari, onions, and potatoes. Just delicious despite her insistent protestations that she isn’t a very good cook.

The fireworks lasted over 45 minutes and were brilliant. Endoh-san said it was to celebrate the first night of Hinokuni Matsuri, which translates to the Land of Fire Festival, the Kumamoto local festival held every August. ‘Land of Fire’ is a poetic phrase used to describe Kumamoto since the city is located in a valley just below Mount Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan. That’s comforting and yet not mentioned in the ‘Gaijin Guide to Living in Kumamoto.’ Curious. Continuing the celebrations, I’ve heard tell of dancing in the streets planned for tomorrow. We’ll see just how wild and crazy these Japanese can get.

When I returned home, I had just enough time to take another quick shower to wash off the summer humidity before the Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony began. I love the Olympics. I have since I was a small child and I seem to revert to that little girl whenever I watch the opening ceremony. In many ways I am incredibly cynical, and I’ll admit to my fair share of criticism of these Olympics in particular. But when the opening ceremonies began, I was glued to the television screen, entranced by the elaborate choreography and visuals. And inevitably, as the parade of nations commenced, I cried like a quiet little baby. On a universal level, it’s so uplifting and hopeful to see citizens from all over the world come together to compete and celebrate. On a more individual level, to see the joyous expressions of so many of the athletes faces, especially those coming from little-known countries, is so breathtakingly inspirational. That said….

One hour into the Parade of Nations – Wow. There are a lot of countries in the world.

Two and a half hours into the Parade of Nations – There are way too many countries in the world.

Three hours into the Parade of Nations – Will it ever end?

So, no Kyoto in this post. I’ll try again tomorrow.

- Jenny