Letters from Japan — Blog on Project Basho Photo Tour to Japan

People at a house party in Suzu

It was simply a pleasure to come to Suzu, located in the deepest part of the Noto Peninsula. We all had a great time with the local people and photographers during the two day festival and while exploring the area.

Suzu is a warm and friendly place and tourism is well received there. As Takabayashi-san, the director of the tourism department of Suzu City  put it: “people bring people, and this is the fundamental element of tourism.” This connection with the people of Suzu is very apparent in our group’s reflections after the visit.

Tom finds the interactions with the locals as something inclusive and welcoming:

Scott talks about the interaction with local photographers:

Cindy describes one encounter with a local lady:

Jeri talks about a very welcoming experience at a house she visited:

Lauren remembers a little incident with an inn-keeper at a family run B&B in Suzu:

Takabashi-san & Naho-san from the city of Suzu at a meeting with local photographers

I am talking about the Takojima Festival which takes place in Suzu once a year. This is a two day festival where 16 lavishly decorated lanterns are paraded through town in a dramatic processional. They are accompanied by drumming, the sounds of many flutes and bells, and the voices of people from all over the town, both young and old. This is a visual as well as auditory experience that you cannot recreate elsewhere. It simply is a sensory overload.

These lanterns have ornate curves all over and are coated in black with lacquer from Wajima. Each lantern is managed by the 16 different neighborhoods and each has a different elaborate drawing in the front and back. During a conversation with a local man who has been documenting the festival for many years, I learned that the construction of one lantern costs about $100,000. But those are just numbers, and the monetary value is not the way to appreciate something like this.

Kids in front of lanterns, Photo by Jeri

These large lanterns march slowly throughout the narrow streets of the town all day long and late into the night. The views of them, especially at night, are simply spectacular. They are all lit up and almost glow like fire against the deep dark sky in this small fishing town at the edge of the Noto Peninsula. Everyone is wearing very colorful Dotera, festival robes. Some actually just tie the robe around the bottom half of their bodies rather than wear them traditionally. They stitch many small bells to their robes as well. The sounds of the bells are everywhere. People are talking and whimsically drumming through the night on the lantern platforms. The kids are also sitting and staring in awe at all that surrounds them.

I have heard of this festival before, and even saw it on a DVD. Quite frankly though, they just could not do any justice to it. You just have to be there and experience this event with all of your senses. If you stand in front of this 16 ft tall lantern carried by about 30-40 people dancing along with simple and yet moving rhythm, you will feel the vibe, excitement, and joy of the people. It will surround you and you will just want to be part of this whole excitement.

What is amazing is that you can be part of it. People in Takojima will bring you into the whole experience, and they do it very well. At each household, everyone is having a party in their living room and they invite  whoever is available into the front of their houses. Some people will just walk in for a quick break and/or drink. Beer, sake, shochu and any seafood you can think of are offered for the occasion.

Literally, if you are walking in front of a house, people will grab you and bring you in to their party, feed you, and offer you any kind of alcohol available. If that is not enough, they will take you to another party across the town. There does not seem to be room for even the politest “no” in this situation, and you just have to take everything they offer. What is amazing is that they are not just doing this as a part of formality, but they are truly sincere about it.

We experienced the warmth of the people in Takojima during the festival. It was a totally serendipitous experience that is unmatched by anything we have experienced so far. This was, without a question, one of the highlights of the trip to the Japanese countryside.

Party table, Suzu, Photo by Tom

After a long day of exploring the countryside of Japan, what we look forward to is a trip to the Onsen or hot spring. It is a public bath and the hot spring is rich in minerals.

In every city we traveled through we had opportunities to dip ourselves into hot bath tubs at the end of the day. Wearing Yukata, a Japanese robe, sometimes we walked together to the Onsen. Even though there were those who were not used to the idea and a little hesitant at first, this eventually became a daily routine.

Strange enough, it is almost hard for me to think of this as a part of daily life at this point as I am so used to taking showers. Even though I went out of my way to find a Japanese deep bath tub for my apartment in the US, I rarely use it to be honest. But getting back to this custom was such a great thing.

In Wajima, there is even a hot spring to just dip your feet in. Literally called Ashi Yu, foot bath, this city run facility is located in the middle of town. This is, of course, one of the few tourist attractions in the city, but it is also a place where locals go. It is a locus of the community where people gather and feel very comfortable talking to one another.

One of the participants pointed out that privacy issues at the public baths are interesting and can be a little strange. On one hand, everyone is naked and seems quiet comfortable. At the same time, the sound of the ocean is pumped into the women’s bathroom to overcome the sounds of what women do in the bathroom.

There is a Japanese expression, “Hadaka no Tsukiai.” It can be literally translated to “naked relationship,” and it refers to a trusted relationship among the same sex. I would assume that it came from this tradition of going to a public bath and having conversations about the many affairs in one’s life.

This trip is about bonding with other participants as well as the locals as much as photographing beautiful scenery.