we leave kyoto, but it is not a sad parting, as we are on our way to ogi village and to Earth Celebration (EC), and Reina will be joining us the next day. ogi is a small port village on the southern shore of sado Island in niigata prefecture. EC, an annual festival hosted by the Kodo drummers, we are very excited. this year's international guest, Olodum, a Brazilian samba/reggae group. 6 hours on the local overnight train from kyoto to naoetsu. little sleep. then a 2.5 hour ferry ride to sado ga-shima, arriving at our destination around 10am. we make our way to the Earth Celebration info center, pick up our tickets for the festival, and run in to our only friend on sado right away, Shizu-san! it is thanks to her help that we are here, arrigato! we make our way uphill to our hostel, and thanks to Reina (again!), manage to get a private room to share in a hostel with only seperate male and female dorms. although we were prepared for it, it's not as hot here our first day. we venture out for food, stephen ends up in a small ramen shop, catching the woman who runs it asleep on the tatami! but ramen ensues, then we explore a bit. later, we search for dinner, vegan food is hard to find when you speak little japanese! i manage some rice, edamame and salad with the help of a patron and the very helpful waitress. then some of the best star gazing we have ever experienced on our way back to the hostel, kirei!
EC day1
line up early (8:00am) for colour cards. today we are blue. the cards determine when you are admitted to the park to pick a spot. blue is group 2! harbour market is set up today too, discovery number two, a macrobiotic food stall! (japanese food that is mostly vegan!). we meet Reina, who arrived today, at the ferry. food, wandering and anticipation - Kodo performs tonight. ogi has transformed from the sleepy town we arrived in yesterday to the festive air around us today. evening, waiting our turn to enter the park. stephen spots a friend, Bucyo, from Kodojuku workshop 2006. lovely lantern lit pathway leading up a STEEP incline to the venue. so much order and thought goes into this festival. we spread out our tarp, front and center, as the people crowd in around us. dusk, and the show begins. it is a beautiful night, a stunning venue, and Kodo are magical tonight.
ECday2
surprise during colour card line up this morning, four Kodo members do an unscheduled performance! and today we are red (thanks to Bucyo!), group 1 into the park tonight! alot to do today, we watch several fringe performances, Cocon (female members of Kodo), the deer dance, Miyake taiko. return visit to organic nana (the macrobiotic place), oishii food from really nice vendors. tonight is Olodum, we pick stage right. they are high energy, and it is contagious, within no time, the crowd is dancing. even though there are 'designated' areas to the left and right side of the stage for standing/dancing, one encouragement from Olodum gets everyone on their feet, and the sedate, obedient crowd is no longer. the best, the three kids behind us going nuts dancing and jumping around, and their parents loving it all. wish i felt comfortable snapping pictures of strangers! Kodo join in for a couple of songs, and although the show tonight does not compare to last nights, it is fun, and the kids behind us made it totally awesome. even the rain didn't diminish the vibe.
ECday3
color card, green today, group 3 into the park tonight. this afternoon, a rare visit to Kodo village, which is only open to the public during EC. first, we catch Bloco Barravento in the streets of ogi, a japanase samba group with lots of charisma. the Kodo village tour, crowded, a bit rushed, but we get to see where Kodo live, rehearse, create. tonight's performance, Kodo and Olodum, seperately and together. Kodo begin, and perform impressively, many beautiful pieces. Olodum inspire dancing again, but more crowd control is in effect tonight. the performance overall, a bit less polished, more improv, especially when the two groups merge. Kodo definetely steal the show tonight, but it is a great ending to the 3 days. sugoi!
the day after the festival, we walk Reina down to the ferry and catch the Kodo send off (Okuli Daiko) that morning. we are staying another night on the island, and once the ferry has left, we walk through the quiet streets of ogi, in that after festival lull. we have been invited by our friend Shizu to attend the Kodo BBQ that night, and spend a really uneventful day taking it easy and relaxing. Stephen touches base with friends from his workshop 2 years ago at the bbq, and we meet a few new ones. it is a nice end to our time on Sado, and a really nice opportunity to meet some people involved with Kodo. the heartbeat of the taiko goes on.
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