| March 30, 2010 |
In Pictures V – Always something to celebrate |
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Japan is a country rich in culture and festivals fill the calendar the whole year round. Since the Peace Boat voyage only lasts slightly more than 100 days, the staff and participants did their best to condense a year’s worth of festivities into such a short time. |
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Natsu matsuri (summer festival) is a time people all across Japan look forward to. While friends and family back home must wait for July or August to mark the occasion, Peace Boat participants took advantage of being in the southern hemisphere – where summer was at its peak – and celebrated the community-driven event. Participants joined with their onboard “families” to compete in games, watch taiko and eisa drumming and dancing (pictured) and enjoy the southern summer sky. |
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Participants closed the festival by joining in the Bon Odori (Bon Dance). Communities usually hold natsu matsuri in the weeks leading up to Obon – a time when people return to their hometowns to visit the graves of departed family members: Bon Odori is a lively tribute to these ancestors. As staff member Kakinuki Norihiko banged the taiko, scores of Peace Boat participants danced their way around the center stage wearing colourful yukata (cotton kimono) or jinbei (traditional men’s summer clothing). |
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Sport’s Day is without a doubt one of the biggest events in the Japanese calendar and similarly so onboard Peace Boat. The all-day event attracted almost half of the voyage participants to the open-air pool deck, where in four teams they challenged each other to contests of strength, wit and good old-fashioned fun. |
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A number of participants took on a huge organisational role, preparing for over two weeks. But, all the hard work was worth it. More than just being a day full of activity, the event brought out the group spirit that makes a Peace Boat voyage so special. |
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Volunteer English teacher Joe McEvoy helped paint the boat green to mark his homeland’s most famous holiday – St. Patrick’s Day. Many participants were previously interested in visiting Ireland, but didn’t necessarily know about its history and traditions before Mr McEvoy gave them a general introduction. But, for the big day itself, green shirts, shamrocks and pints of Guinness got everyone into the Irish spirit. |
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While not an official holiday in Japan, Peace Boaters organised Okinawa Day – a celebration of the unique culture of Japan’s smallest and most southern prefecture. The chain of islands, stretching from southern Kagoshima prefecture almost to Taiwan, used to be known as the Kingdom of the Ryukyus: food, music and dialects are all significantly different than mainland Japan. Even though the onboard event honoured the area’s traditions and heritage, the day also served remind participants of the movement against the presence of the U.S. military in Okinawa. |
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