July 7, 2013
In the center of our hotel is a giant bamboo plant with color Prayer cards hanging from it. The star festival is when vega, a weaving girl and Altair, a cowherd boy, who fell deeply in love. They enjoyed eachothers company and spent so much time ogether the stopped wirkig hard. So the King seperated them by a river. Now the can only meet on the milky-way once a year. We mere humans can write prayers on the cards and hang them on the banboo tree so Altair and Vega can grant your wish..
Our hotel the Grandvia is also symbolically supporting the Sundai area which suffered the earthquake and tsunami. After the festival the hotel will send their bamboo plants to Sundai.
No longer a part of the ceremony for conservation reasons, Japanese used to take bamboo from there home and float it down the river which then flowed to the Milky Way.
3.11 Tsunami
The tsunami that hit Japan is talked about often by our guide. She always introduces tha stop with "When we go to Sundai, which was hit By the tsunami..."
I am preparing myself to see people who still live in temporary housing. And children who lost one or both parents. We will be holding a "volunteer effort" while we are here conducting English Practice and Conversation. JEEP last year held a "hot dog" event making over 2,000 free hot dogs for a local festival. People are still depressed in that area having lost so much!! They often stay inside their homes, so the local government and organizations hold events to bring people out and help them move on, and heal.
At the Hiroshima Grand Via Hotel
At the Kyoto New Miyako Hotel
Safe Travels with much reward. Happiness.
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