Nihon-dê :)

Another weekend adventure.
I know why I ... dislike Düsseldorf. I love Cologne and though I still don't live there, I feel like I should. *g*
Anyway, sometimes Düsseldorf is not all that bad.
Yesterday was one of those times. Japan Day.
Of course I got annoyed quite a lot of times which annoys me even more now, but let's forget that. Let's stick to the good things.
The wonderful Samurai armor of the Takeda group.
The weather clearing up, suddenly pouring sunlight over the whole place.
The little kids dancing the Little Bear Dance. With fans. Didn't know bears had fans.
The karateka, showing something different from Shotokan, so I didn't know it all ;)
The way the kobudo guys handled their agricultural equipment *g* - the tonfa, the sai, the bo, the nunchako. And the strange hacky thing with the name I already forgot. Killer farmers.
The tiny Japanese kendoka. Does it pay off to start with kendo at age 5 or so? Don't you need new armor every year? Who pays for that?
The clashing of shinai, the shouting and stamping.
The hakama, flying with the speed of their turns and movements.
The calm time sitting on the stairs and staring out on the Rhine.
The really, really, really freaky J-Rock... freaks.
The Japanese choir singing German folk songs (where one verse contains seven times the German equivalent of "my precious"). And a Japanese frog song. With frog masks. *manic giggle*
The beautiful, beautiful kimono the musicians from Hiroshima wore.
The strange see-through cloak of their lead singer flowing in the wind.
The taiko drummers, beating themselves and their audience to exhilaration. I want a taiko!
The sushi and yakitori, even though it was expensive and hard to get.
The sunset over the Rhine river.
The fireworks, half an hour of flowers and cascades (and hearts and smilies and letters) in the sky.
The arrival back in Cologne, with aching feet and totally exhausted, but feeling greatly accomplished.

*happy sigh*

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( Deutsche Version )

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