Kannonzaki and Bon Adori

My parents came all the way to Japan to visit us!  Of course while they were here we wanted to take them to our favorite park.  It was a windy day so the place was nice and empty for us.

We got pretty dirty on the roller slide.  This was Calista's first time riding down on my lap instead of in the carrier.  She did not like it, and it was a little hard for me to keep her hands and feet inside the carpet, or in this case off the edges so she didn't get a burn.  This slide is seriously no joke.

And there is plenty to do at the park besides the roller slide.

That night we went to a Bon Odori Festival.  I've read a couple different explanations for the festival time of the year but basically it is a Buddhist festival where they celebrate their ancestors.  

One site says, "is a special time of the year when the souls of the dead come back to visit the living."  Another website states, "In Japan, there is a period of time, as well as certain events, where people pray for the spirits of their deceased relatives and ancestors to be able to obtain Buddhahood without suffering. There are many events held around the 15th of the 7th month of the old lunar calendar, held to generally correspond to the four-day period between August 13th and 16th."  

Either way there is also lots of dancing, drums, chanting, people dressed in kimonos, and food vendors.

Tucker and Penelope were brave enough to get on stage and play the drums.

Yakitori is one of our favorites!  It is pretty much chicken on a stick.