Photo By Chief Petty Officer Kegan Kay | Naval Air Facility Atsugi commanding officer Capt. Steven Wieman performs taiko...... read more read more
Subscribe
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kegan E. Kay
NAVAL AIR FACILITY ATSUGI, Japan – For the Japanese, summer is a time for celebration and festivals, so in keeping with the local tradition Naval Air Facility Atsugi is hosting its annual open base Bon Odori event, Aug. 17.
Bon Odori is a Japanese celebration that started more than 500 years ago, and maintains its foothold in the traditions in which it started.
While Japanese legends vary on how Bon Odori actually came about, they all contain two main elements; spirits of their ancestors and dancing; Bon is a Buddhist festival of ancestral spirits and Odori means dance.
“Bon Odori is always a big thing for Atsugi, because you can just tell by the faces of the Japanese that come aboard they want to be here and they are excited to be here and to see us here,” explains NAF Atsugi Command Master Chief Carlton Duncan.
NAF Atsugi will start off the Bon Odori with a Moral, Welfare and Recreation-sponsored American festival that will feature live entertainment, American-style food and beverages and bounce houses for kids.
The festival will also include Japanese vendors providing festival delicacies and traditional Bon dances and taiko performances.
Members of the NAF Atsugi community participate in the traditional dances and taiko performances along side the local community members.
“We invite local dance teams from Yamato, Ayase, Ebina, Yokohama and also taiko performers from Yamato, a group called Wako-ren,” said NAF Atsugi host nation relations specialist Sumie Maruyama. “The representative from Wako-ren teaches taiko drumming to the [NAF Atsugi] leadership and NAF Atsugi Kids Taiko Team.”
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force leadership and JMSDF Atsugi Wives Association contribute to the taiko and Bon dance performances which are show cased around a giant stage with alternating dance teams performing on top.
When the sun goes down the stage is lit up with lanterns on all sides, leading into the crowds and illuminating the dancers.
Duncan said the Bon Odori is not only a place to have a fun and enjoy good food, but also a place for the base and local communities to mingle and strengthen the bond between the two nations.
“You have got to look outside the gate and see who our neighbors are,” said Duncan. “Anything we can do to foster a relationship between our presence here and our cooperation with the community does nothing but push our relationship along.”
| Date Taken: | 08.08.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 08.08.2013 03:32 |
| Story ID: | 111546 |
| Location: | NAVAL AIR FACILITY ATSUGI, KANAGAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 287 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NAF Atsugi's Bon Odori Festival, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
