Obscure | Contents | Feedback

the sights? you wouldn't believe it!

I was just playing a few 2-3 hundred year old taiko drums when about 200 identical kimono clad women waltzed passed me with fluffy sticks in their hands. then, when i thought 400 holographic leotard clad highschool girls twirling sticks was enough to satisfy my hunger for excitement, 50 odd fire fighters in traditional japanese fire fighting outfits started climbing up these ladders held by pals, supported by ropes, pointing to the sky. then they started doing acrobatics, grey haired men!

mad people here, 1,200,000 people attended the festival.

any way, i ate lots of yummy japanese food, yes some of it was raw, spent some time with my 87 year old gandmother in the small mountainous village in which i grew up, learnt some new taiko rhythms and came home on a bullet train travelling at 270 km/phr.

The first out-door rave i went to here was so, so, beutiful.

It was called 'Doushi village organic gathering' and the rave sight was surrounded by native japanese forest, had a clean stream (quite wide) running through it, and covered in mist. bliss...

Four organisers had got together for the first time to create four zones, the music changed at all the zones through out the night, but trance seemed to be the main theme. Lots of goa, a bit of drum & bass, one zone dedicated to ambience.

lots of amazing ideas i will relate to you when i see you, but here's a few that stood out.

Projections on a clear plastic-sheet coated pyramid.

This had an amazing effect as the projections consisted mainly of computer generated, multi coloured bubbles. It tricked you into thinking people inside the pyramid were floating under water. pretty cool.

Long lasting, re-usable out door props.

There were these three polished wooden structures 6 or 7 feet high, sort of robot looking, made with 3-4 different coloured woods. During the night they had snap sticks of different shape, colour and length stuck to them (in well designed places), which helped set the ambience in the ambient zone. This zone had three or four 4mX5m murals (computer imposed) wooden structures were works of art.

About a hundred hand made candles.

These were all as thick as my thighs, made by a candle artist that's involved with Anoyo. (organiser) There were so many different colours, and because of their size and weight were able to be placed in and along the stream. Weird how they didn't go out in the rain... Reflections on the water were breath taking. As the candles melted, they left the outer layer and became sort of lantern-like. Definitely the most beutiful display at the party.

Lanterns!

One of the organisers (Matsuri maybe?) went all out with lanterns. Pretty impressive collection. The style was traditional Japanese, with this particularly nice, hand crafted thick paper that stood up to the slight drizzle. They all had the organisers logo and name on them. (cut out of black card and stuck on) I will try to send some paper and lantern designs within the year. (no promises)

Dream catchers.

Taking the cotton ball idea one step further. 15-20 dream catchers with intricate mandalas & spider webs on bicycle hoops and local branches. They light up under U.V. There was a circular screen for projections too. I think one of the eudemony kids were good with tying knots?

Fluro things.

one zone had an amazing fluro dragon. also a cube-frame with different coloured fluro string doing that strange thing it does when tied at even spaces. the fluro ball (molecule) idea was taken a step further to create these structures in boxes. This was the rainbow zone.

Also; crazy drummers, freaks on E, left over hippies, a guy in a cat costume, ethnic food booths, drum makers, camp fires, a monk carving Buddhas, people offering me dope, crystaline structures, birds by the stream, lots of children, little fluro shops, mushroom chai tents, chai tents, mushrooms, friends, new friends, etc. etc.

peace out, stay withit,