Little Mardi Gras in Matsue, 8 of 11

Thanks to a shared connection through writer Lafcadio Hearn, water cities Matsue and New Orleans began a Friendship City Relationship in March, 1994. To celebrate the 20th anniversary, a delegation and ceremony was held here in Matsue last October, followed by Little Mardi Gras in Matsue, which is what it sounds like. This event–with a special focus on including children in the local community–takes place in October, so you can get your Mardi Gras fix in Japan between Carnival seasons.

I am busy right now with a group from Matsue on an exchange program in New Orleans thanks to the Japan Society of New Orleans and a TOMODACHI Exchange grant from the TOMODACHI Initiative. Click here and here to see the play-by-play on that exchange on Facebook, and in the meantime on this blog, enjoy a few photos from last year’s Little Mardi Gras in Matsue!

The parade lead to Karakoro Square in the Kyomise shopping district, where more of the crowd was waiting to watch the successive performances.

 

Little Mardi Gras in Matsue, 7 of 11

Thanks to a shared connection through writer Lafcadio Hearn, water cities Matsue and New Orleans began a Friendship City Relationship in March, 1994. To celebrate the 20th anniversary, a delegation and ceremony was held here in Matsue last October, followed by Little Mardi Gras in Matsue, which is what it sounds like. This event–with a special focus on including children in the local community–takes place in October, so you can get your Mardi Gras fix in Japan between Carnival seasons.

I am busy right now with a group from Matsue on an exchange program in New Orleans thanks to the Japan Society of New Orleans and a TOMODACHI Exchange grant from the TOMODACHI Initiative. Click here and here to see the play-by-play on that exchange on Facebook, and in the meantime on this blog, enjoy a few photos from last year’s Little Mardi Gras in Matsue!

Haruka Kikuchi has recently moved to New Orleans to pursue a jazz career. We’ll miss her visits to Matsue!

 

Little Mardi Gras in Matsue, 6 of 11

Thanks to a shared connection through writer Lafcadio Hearn, water cities Matsue and New Orleans began a Friendship City Relationship in March, 1994. To celebrate the 20th anniversary, a delegation and ceremony was held here in Matsue last October, followed by Little Mardi Gras in Matsue, which is what it sounds like. This event–with a special focus on including children in the local community–takes place in October, so you can get your Mardi Gras fix in Japan between Carnival seasons.

I am busy right now with a group from Matsue on an exchange program in New Orleans thanks to the Japan Society of New Orleans and a TOMODACHI Exchange grant from the TOMODACHI Initiative. Click here and here to see the play-by-play on that exchange on Facebook, and in the meantime on this blog, enjoy a few photos from last year’s Little Mardi Gras in Matsue!

The Khachaturian Band has been very helpful in setting up Matsue a center for New Orleans culture in Japan, and in addition to setting the tone for the parade, they’ve performed in a number of places around Matsue. The Matsue New Orleans Club also brings in jazz artists from abroad.

 

Little Mardi Gras in Matsue, 5 of 11

Thanks to a shared connection through writer Lafcadio Hearn, water cities Matsue and New Orleans began a Friendship City Relationship in March, 1994. To celebrate the 20th anniversary, a delegation and ceremony was held here in Matsue last October, followed by Little Mardi Gras in Matsue, which is what it sounds like. This event–with a special focus on including children in the local community–takes place in October, so you can get your Mardi Gras fix in Japan between Carnival seasons.

I am busy right now with a group from Matsue on an exchange program in New Orleans thanks to the Japan Society of New Orleans and a TOMODACHI Exchange grant from the TOMODACHI Initiative. Click here and here to see the play-by-play on that exchange on Facebook, and in the meantime on this blog, enjoy a few photos from last year’s Little Mardi Gras in Matsue!

The parade was a good chance for the general public to interact with the official delegates from New Orleans. You can read a report on the delegation’s experience here.

 

Little Mardi Gras in Matsue, 4 of 11

Thanks to a shared connection through writer Lafcadio Hearn, water cities Matsue and New Orleans began a Friendship City Relationship in March, 1994. To celebrate the 20th anniversary, a delegation and ceremony was held here in Matsue last October, followed by Little Mardi Gras in Matsue, which is what it sounds like. This event–with a special focus on including children in the local community–takes place in October, so you can get your Mardi Gras fix in Japan between Carnival seasons.

I am busy right now with a group from Matsue on an exchange program in New Orleans thanks to the Japan Society of New Orleans and a TOMODACHI Exchange grant from the TOMODACHI Initiative. Click here and here to see the play-by-play on that exchange on Facebook, and in the meantime on this blog, enjoy a few photos from last year’s Little Mardi Gras in Matsue!

The parade reached a climax on Ohashi Bridge, one of the most notable of the bridges spanning the Ohashi River which bisects the city. Once assembled in perfect fashion, the bands all performed “When The Saints Go Marching In” in unison.

 

Little Mardi Gras in Matsue, 3 of 11

Thanks to a shared connection through writer Lafcadio Hearn, water cities Matsue and New Orleans began a Friendship City Relationship in March, 1994. To celebrate the 20th anniversary, a delegation and ceremony was held here in Matsue last October, followed by Little Mardi Gras in Matsue, which is what it sounds like. This event–with a special focus on including children in the local community–takes place in October, so you can get your Mardi Gras fix in Japan between Carnival seasons.

I am busy right now with a group from Matsue on an exchange program in New Orleans thanks to the Japan Society of New Orleans and a TOMODACHI Exchange grant from the TOMODACHI Initiative. Click here and here to see the play-by-play on that exchange on Facebook, and in the meantime on this blog, enjoy a few photos from last year’s Little Mardi Gras in Matsue!

You might already recognize the New Orleans flag in the background, and in the Matsue flag is in the foreground. The symbol is a mix of a turtle shell (because Matsue Castle was built on what used to be called Mt. Kameda and kame is the word for turtle) and pine needles (because the matsu in Matsue is “pine”).

 

Little Mardi Gras in Matsue, 2 of 11

Thanks to a shared connection through writer Lafcadio Hearn, water cities Matsue and New Orleans began a Friendship City Relationship in March, 1994. To celebrate the 20th anniversary, a delegation and ceremony was held here in Matsue last October, followed by Little Mardi Gras in Matsue, which is what it sounds like. This event–with a special focus on including children in the local community–takes place in October, so you can get your Mardi Gras fix in Japan between Carnival seasons.

I am busy right now with a group from Matsue on an exchange program in New Orleans thanks to the Japan Society of New Orleans and a TOMODACHI Exchange grant from the TOMODACHI Initiative. Click here and here to see the play-by-play on that exchange on Facebook, and in the meantime on this blog, enjoy a few photos from last year’s Little Mardi Gras in Matsue!

Some of the bands lining up in the STIC building, getting ready to go.

 

Little Mardi Gras in Matsue, 1 of 11

Not really the time or place you’d expect to see some New Orleans style Mardi Gras pictures, is it?

Thanks to a shared connection through writer Lafcadio Hearn, water cities Matsue and New Orleans began a Friendship City Relationship in March, 1994. To celebrate the 20th anniversary, a delegation and ceremony was held here in Matsue last October, followed by Little Mardi Gras in Matsue, which is what it sounds like. This event–with a special focus on including children in the local community–takes place in October, so you can get your Mardi Gras fix in Japan between Carnival seasons.

I am busy right now with a group from Matsue on an exchange program in New Orleans thanks to the Japan Society of New Orleans and a TOMODACHI Exchange grant from the TOMODACHI Initiative. Click here and here to see the play-by-play on that exchange on Facebook, and in the meantime on this blog, enjoy a few photos from last year’s Little Mardi Gras in Matsue!

 

The Kojiki a.t.b.b. – Fatal and Fateful Trials – Part 9

Continued from Part 8













Continued in Part 10

 

The ninja everyone notices

Being a ninja of sorts is just part of the job description when it comes to relaying information, though this is more likely what she’s referring to, as the extra posters were to be found all over Matsue for a time. People I know also catch sight of me on traffic safety promotion posters, too. That’s not to mention how much media exposure I have in newpaper articles, pretty much every TV channel here, and being a semi-regular radio personality.

I sometimes think I should add “being a celebrity” to my list of CIR job tasks. Not that I’m complaining, but being so well recognized makes it a little hard to be a ninja sometimes.

Plus, when we–who certainly are not professional models–had fun taking pictures that day, we had no idea how many places we’d encounter our own faces. For instance, we’re on the cover this month’s Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR)’s newletters which ran a feature article about the roles of CIR in general around Japan. We are now the face of ninja–I mean, CIRs–everywhere!