10/14/09 3:07 PM
I’m sure many people have already heard of Hanami, the popular time in spring where many people picnic around the cherry blossoms. It also has a fall counterpart called Koyo, to observe the changing colors of the leaves. This weekend I went to Miyajima, which is a very good Koyo observation area, unfortunately we were a month too early. However, that didn’t stop people from picnicking around the area. Many people were sitting towards the water, and the deer were scattered in-between them. I’m surprised that people were not bothered by the deer, or worried that the deer would snatch their food, or other objects. The deer have no fear of humans and will grab paper out of your hands and eat it!
I’m sure many people have already heard of Hanami, the popular time in spring where many people picnic around the cherry blossoms. It also has a fall counterpart called Koyo, to observe the changing colors of the leaves. This weekend I went to Miyajima, which is a very good Koyo observation area, unfortunately we were a month too early. However, that didn’t stop people from picnicking around the area. Many people were sitting towards the water, and the deer were scattered in-between them. I’m surprised that people were not bothered by the deer, or worried that the deer would snatch their food, or other objects. The deer have no fear of humans and will grab paper out of your hands and eat it!
Once we started to venture up the mountain, I saw less and less people picnicking and more people sketching and painting by the riverside. The group of girls in the picture below was painting and after taking the picture I asked them a few questions as to why they were painting. It was hard to get an answer that I could understand, but it was not any of their hobbies, or something for class, but they said it was for “taiko”, unless I misunderstood them. The only taiko I am familiar with are the Japanese drums that go by the name of taiko. I am starting to think that I misunderstood them.
They said they chose Miyajima because it was beautiful, and my ferry ticket also called Miyajima “Japan’s #1 Scenic Spot”. It definitely was a very beautiful area with many plants, trees, deer and monkeys. I think that if I lived near a place as pretty as Miyajima I would also have a weekly or monthly picnic there to observe the sights.
Miyajima is a great place for various forms of recreation - I'd like to read more about what you saw. Your text seems kind of scattered (why info on hanami, koyo and taiko if you did not see/experience them?) - what is your thesis statement for this post? The "taiko" they referred to might be taikou - a kind of competition? Check with your Japanese instructor - they love questions like this (and are a great source of help if you have language problems during your fieldwork).
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