Kon-Nichiwa!

Melbourne and Osaka are sister cities (why does one sister speaks english and the other speaks japanese?). Every year Melbourne city hosts a little event to reaffirm our ties to the sister city of Osaka by means of a little japanese festival so they can promote tourism in Japan and have a taste of japanese life styles.

There are japanese drum performers by the students in a particular japanese drum school here. They are actually very spectacular, love the beatings of the drums like thunders!

There's best dressed japanese birds in their traditional kimono I think or maybe its called something else I don't know, I could be wrong. Anyway the winner is the one with the peace sign, 3rd from the right.

Some japanese dance which I can't remember what its called now but it involves dancing in a circle and waving your arms in the movements of working in the fields and other domestic lives back in Japan. Everyone is encouraged to join in but I was too busy with the camera so I was excused!

Know how to do origami! These volunteers spent all afternoon teaching and showing anyone who wants to learn how to make beautiful paper animals and stuffs. Gotta love the volunteers!

Ahh..love this, the Japanese Tea Ceremony. The japanese are very finicky about drinking their teas, what utensils to use, how to boil the water, how to clean the bowls and how to serve it! Aiyah, just give me one teh-o-peng saja lah and I'll gobble it down in 2 seconds!

Japanese caligraphy, I don't know what he's written but it looks like a piece of artwork you can put on the wall. Maybe someone might just buy it and do just that.

This japanese lady plays her instrument well, coupled with her singing in some japanese traditional song. I bet most of the audiences don't know what she was singing about so even if she screws up, its ok coz no one knows!

Aww...ain't that the cutest brother and sisters you ever seen! That's the fruits of good relations between Osaka and Melbourne..hehe.

Japanese honey cakes, they look good but I didn't get to sample any because the line was like a mile long! Next time maybe.

Japanese chess, looks like chinese chess too. Like the one you see in martial art movies just before they're about to draw their swords and fight to the death!

Speaking of martial arts, some demonstrations of Kendo, the japanese art of swordmanship. This is what you need to learn if you want to be a samurai, a ninja or a jedi.

These two are showing you what you can do when you learn Kendo, with a sword you have an advantage over someone who's only got a stick. But a long stick he has so the odds may be stacked against him!


Check it out, real samurai warriors complete with their katana swards too! I sked liao! Sumimasen! Sayonara!