Dondoyaki

Dondoyaki is an annual event in Japan, and takes place at different times in different parts of Japan. It’s also known by different names in different parts of Japan - Mrs.Boyle also mentioned saidoyaki and was quite clear that she has no idea what its called in Fuji City. (She’s not from ’round here. We get duelling banjos moments at least once a day.)

Nonetheless, the basic principle remains the same, whatever the name. People come to burn their New Year’s decorations, to roast mochi (pounded rice cake, with the texture of chewing gum) on long tree branches, and to burn children’s calligraphy practice - the theory being that the higher the smoke goes, the better the child’s brush writing skills will get.

Sweet. Here are some shots, via Flickr, of dondoyaki round my way.
(Click to go to the Flickr page for the photo.)

Saturday, January 13th, 2007 Japan, Japanese Culture Trackback URL for this entry