hanabi

hanabi was one of the first japanese words I learned. whilst walking to the GFT in glasgow to see the new takeshi kitano film a few years back yuka translated and it got me started on thinking about how lovely the language can be. 'fire-flower' and 'fireworks' are very different words.

anyway, to cut to the chase, we are now in the height of summer festivities - hanabi being an integral part - trying their hardest to make everybody forget about the heat.

if you consider 5-10,000 fireworks at an average display is a large amount, then the 120,000 we saw at Perfect Liberty (religious order - see June) in tondabayashi in south Osaka tonight was immense. infact - allegedly - the largest in the world. it's quite a sight, an hour and a half of fireworks, and really brings in the crowds. I don't know how many dogs die in the area, but the ricochet was also incredible - standing near a building really adds volume to the already dramatic show. tonight was odd though - one of the hottest yet and even at 12 midnight it's 28 degrees (82) (with humidity too). nasty stuff. anyway - there was also no wind which meant that the smoke didn't lift at all - just sat high above the ground smothering many of the subsequent fireworks but illuminating the sky like a cloud hyperactive with lightening. still very beautiful. the vibrations were something else - I thought windows would implode - certainly car alarms were going off all around, along with the babies and dogs.

and then it was over. the train home was like rush hour except the drab grey suits and frowns were replaced with colourful yukatas and smiles. life is art as PL would say. couldn't agree more. happy summer!

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