Do-re Ba-re-bo-ru : MUD VOLLEYBALL

So, I came to work Wednesday morning in Katahigashi and right by my desk were these huge animal heads along with the body and boots. It was a little freaky! Never saw one let alone three huge animal outfits just sitting there but it was a fun way to start the Katahigashi Matsuri.
The main event - Mud volleyball!
32 teams of 4 to 5 members each entered to win the 1st place 25,000 yen prize.
The game started at 10 am and 4 mud courts were being used all at the same time.
Of course at the beginning things started out somewhat clean, but it didn't take too long before teams started diving into the mud.
Teams tried to wear color outfits, but it all eventually became brown.
The showers were a fun place to see just how muddy everyone got!

The games lasted for about 3 hours and with all the standing around in between matches, players kept falling in the mud to stay cool on the hot day.
Anyone could enter, even kids. The kid teams were esp. cute to watch since they always got muddy diving for balls.
Part of the "Muddy Ducks" team. I was invited to play with them, but my BoE said NO - being afraid I would hurt myself even before school started.
The girls showing off for the cameras - there were TV crews everywhere!

Katahigashi and the Koshi-san's Party

Watermelon Smash
The fruit is one of the familiar symbols of summer here in Japan and plays a part in a popular beach game known as suika wari, or "split the watermelon".
We played it in the street though, but were still blindfolded and spinned around twice. We were only given two directions to follow - no more than that. Took about 5 of us before someone actually hit the watermelon head on.

What an exciting way to eat!

The Koshi-sans cut down some fresh bamboo for this bamboo chute diner. Water runs down the bamboo and noodles (sometimes watermelon) would come down the chute in the water. To eat, you simply put your chopsticks in the water and the noodles will quickly pile up onto them and you can then dip them into your cup of sauce. There is a bowl at the end to catch the noodles that make it to the end of the chute, where other guys waited eagerly to eat.


Mmm...it is truly summer time - Watermelon and Beer and BBQ!!!

We were showing our new friends different western drinks - like sake bombs and how to shot-gun a beer - classy...i know! But what ended up being a joke became real. b/c we laughed that what we need next was a tube and funnel for a beer bong and before our eyes came back the bamboo chute - thus the Bamboo Bong was born.

Everyone that night had at least one or two times with the bamboo bong.
Hi Mom!
Including the head host - Koshi-san himself!
Afterwards we headed to karaoke for a nice way to end the night.

Osaka in July - Part 3

Hep Five Ferris Wheel - Building a Ferris wheel into the upper floors of a shopping mall in the middle of an enormous city was a bold and brilliant idea. The Hep Five Ferris Wheel, named so because it is in/on the Hep Five shopping center just beside Osaka Station, rises 106 meters above the city. The lower dimensions of the wheel actually dip into the shopping mall. There are 52 gondolas, each with a four-person capacity. One lazy rotation takes 15 minutes and will cost you JPY700.



The Umeda Sky Building (梅田スカイビル) is the fifth-tallest building in Osaka City, and one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. It consists of two 40-story towers that connect at their two uppermost stories, with bridges and an escalator crossing the wide atrium-like space in the center.
Located in the Umeda district of Kita-ku, the building was originally conceived in 1988 as the "City of Air" project, which planned to create four interconnected towers in northern Osaka. Eventually, practical considerations brought the number of towers down to two.








Capsule stayin'

Game playin'

Spaworld - an amazing onsen experiance for only 1,000 yen.
http://www.spaworld.co.jp/bijin.html
My joyful find!
The Museum of Oriental Ceramics - Founded in 1982. It houses 2000 pieces of ceramics, among them designated National Treasures. It also features a natural-light gallery for its Korean celadon pottery.

Osaka in July - Part 2

Osaka is known for its food, as supported by the saying "Dress (in kimonos) till you drop in Kyoto, eat till you drop in Osaka" (京の着倒れ、大阪の食い倒れ). Osaka regional cuisine includes okonomiyaki (pan-fried batter cake), takoyaki (octopus dumplings), udon (a noodle dish), as well as regional sushi and other traditional Japanese foods. It is said that to succeed in the Osaka food service business, the food must taste above-average, have larger servings than normal, be inexpensive and fast.

Out of all the food that Osaka had to offer - we chose Mexican and Strawberry Margaritas.