Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture ー As the famous saying goes, “A picture tells a thousand words” so hopefully these 12 pictures, telling 12,000 words, make up for all the missed blogging over the past few months.

Earlier this year, I had the great honour of participating in the Hanatsumi Festival held in southern Osaka. The festival has been held for hundreds of years and 2019 marked the first time a foreigner took part in the ceremonies. A good friend of mine from my Minoh days came all the way from Kyoto to participate as well.

The ceremony took us around the city for over 4 hours. The women in the pink kimonos carried special flowers to a number of shrines around the city and the priests performed their sacred rituals each time.

I have been so fortunate to have opportunities to participate in festivals and ceremonies with such historical significance. There are so many learning opportunities and exciting adventures to be had, and I hope to share more of these experiences with you on my blog in the weeks and months to come!