On November 2nd and 3rd, Kagoshima City will host the amazing Ohara Matsuri. This festival is the largest in southern Kyushu, with around 20,000 people taking part in traditional dance parades. Every year, a group of Kagoshima's international residents and their friends take part in the dance parade too, under the name Genki Gaikokujin and Friends.
The Kagoshima International Citizens' Society (KICS) is now looking for around 30 participants to join the Genki Gaikokujin and Friends group. If you would like to dance through the streets of central Kagoshima and get the full-on matsuri experience then sign up today!
When? November 3rd, 2005 (Thursday - public holiday).
The time will be around 11am to 6pm, but the precise schedule will be decided later.
Where? Tenmonkan area, central Kagoshima City, Japan.
Cost: Free!
Who can take part? The Genki Gaikokujin and Friends group is open to anyone who is a foreign resident of Kagoshima Prefecture, or a friend of a foreign resident of Kagoshima Prefecture.
What will I wear? KICS will lend you a happi jacket free of charge. You can wear this over your ordinary clothes. We are currently looking into options for those who would like to buy their happi.
What kind of dance is it? The main dance is the Ohara Bushi, a folk dance from Kagoshima. (In recent years the Genki Gaikokujin and Friends have been known to dance the Macarena too.)
What if I really can't dance? It doesn't matter! The important thing is just to have a go and get involved in the festival action. There will be a short run-through of the dance steps on the day of the festival. There may also be the chance to attend a community centre practice session beforehand if you are super-genki.
Sign-up deadline: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2005.
Please contact the Kagoshima International Citizens' Society (KICS) by Friday, September 30th, stating the details below. Please mark your application GENKI GAIKOKUJIN AND FRIENDS.
Contact: Kim Woodruff, KICS, International Affairs Division, Kagoshima City Hall, 11-1 Yamashita-cho, Kagoshima City, 892-8677.
Tel: 099-216-1131
Fax: 099-224-8900
E-mail: kokusai3@city.kagoshima.lg.jp
Ohara Matsuri official website (in Japanese only, sorry).
If you have any questions about the Genki Gaikokujin and Friends group, please contact Kim Woodruff at KICS, at the contact details listed above.
