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I'm in the center in my new gold yukata. |
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The Phoenix
Obon at the Arizona Buddhist Temple turned out to be a pleasant surprise as well as the perfect opportunity to wear kimono and yukata! Despite the reservations about the hot weather, we (There were six in our group) all had a really great time. The dancing started a little after 7:00pm, so there was ample shade. The best part was there were many dances (I estimate at least 12-15!) and such variety. They even let the dancers take a welcome 15 minute water break halfway through. A nice touch was they passed out boxes of kachi-kachi, tenugui, etc. for the dancers to borrow just in case you didn't have the correct accessory for the dance!
Some of the dances we did that I recognized from the west coast; at the least music was familiar: Pokeman Ondo, Tanko Bushi, Tokyo Ondo, Sakura Ondo, and a dance to
"Accentuate the Positive" that made us laugh. This temple even has their own dance choreographed to a Beach Boys song- "
Kokomo"!
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There was also a rummage sale in the temple...(kimono shopping alert- look for a separate post) which yielded some nice surprises. Most of the items for sale were dishes but there were some gems in the rough. I found a crazy bird yukata for $10 and one person in our group found a komon kimono, an obi, and an obijime!
We arrived late enough to miss out on the bento box dinner, but they had to be pre-ordered anyway, so no worries. We ate before we arrived but some of us managed to find the shave ice and delectable homemade desserts on sale inside.
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The whole experience was really nice despite the long drive for some of us. Next year, I'll gather a larger group together and we will leave much earlier so we can relax a bit before we dance. And next time maybe we will stay overnight to experience the bon service at the temple next morning.
Until next June!
~Reb
I'm so sorry that I couldn't meetup with you. I hope to make the next event.
ReplyDeletePeace,
zz.
Hi ZZ!
ReplyDeleteWe missed you...maybe next time. I'm thinking of a meet-up this summer at a sushi restaurant. Something cool and indoors. I'll let you know if there is any interest and I'll come up with a plan.