Last weekend I went to see the long-awaited follow-up to Batman Begins (which I loved), The Dark Knight. I’d heard it was dark, but man, that’s a really dark movie. I think it’s less a Batman movie than a movie about three people (one of whom happens to be Batman) who decide to take a stand against the crime and corruption in their city and then are totally and utterly thwarted by a twisted psychopath called the Joker. Forget any other portrayal of the Joker you have seen, they were just cartoon characters. Heath Ledger’s Joker is a flesh and bones character you can believe in: creepy, scary, nasty, he lives for mayhem, pain and fear. And did I mention scary? He’s really scary. Oh, he also likes to corrupt people. He loves that. Moral quandaries – he likes those too. It’s a complex story and not for the kiddies. I’m wondering how they are going to follow that up.

On Sunday, I went to see the Ujigawa fireworks. Great display. I’ve always thought 花火 or fireflowers is a great name for fireworks. On Sunday, they had fireworks that looked like flowers, hearts, cats, smiley faces and Doraemon. Yet all I managed to take were these lousy pictures:
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People weren’t kidding when they told me it would be packed though. It took ages to get home when it was over. Still I enjoy the summer festival atmosphere, the yatai stalls with their crap-but-tasty food, the girls in yukata, the street beers, the excited children…

Now, once again the Japanese festival of the dead, Obon, is upon us and it’s time for another message from Hozouji.

Obon
kono yo to
ano yo no
tsunagari wo
kakunin suru
kikai

Obon:
a chance to reaffirm
the ties between
this world
and the next.

During Obon, the traditional belief is that the departed spirits of our loved ones return to visit their homes. Families get together during this time to honor their departed relatives and visit their family grave. In Kyoto, they light fires on the hills around the city on the 16th, to guide the spirits back to deads-ville. I’ll be there watching on Saturday in my jimbei. And then I’m going to Joao for Masuda’s birthday party. I think that’ll be my last blast for the summer. Off to South Africa next Tuesday for ten days, and it’s winter there…