Summer Festival in My Town

Summer Festival in my town

 To express energetic festival, I used warm colors and this set is what the little girl enjoys there.  This is the festival in my area called “Kokura Gion Daiko” (小倉祇園太鼓)

 At this time in Japan, festivals can be seen at many places.  They are very unique and how festivals are held is different from place to place.  In my area, Japanese drums are played and the history of festival goes back to 398 years from now.  The drums are played to pray “world peace” “no natural disaster” “rich harvest” “good business”and “health”

flag of “world peace”   flag of “rich harvest”

I used skewers. 

White design under the drum is the symbol of Kokura-han (our area called Edo period)  Wood grain is painted.  Usually blue and purple colors are worn but to express hot summer I used red and yellow.  The jacket he is in is called Happi.  Happi is worn during festivals.

I designed Happi.  The Chinese character on it means Festival. To express hot, burning summer I designed fire and phoenix.

At festivals, there are many kinds of food stands and game stands.  For example, we see chocolate bananas, candy apples and corn dog. 

To make candy apples, I used red colored icing and after it dried completely I covered it with melted red candy.  Toothpicks are attached.

Very popular game stand is goldfish scooping.  A small like-paddle is used to scoop gold fish from a small pool, instead of net very thin paper is used for the paddle, we need to be quick to get goldfish.  I put very thin icing to express the paper texture.  The technique of paper texture is the one of @mintlemonade (cookie crumbs) 's, she used it for fabric texture. 

After a child in yukata (summer kimono) sees many things at festival she decides to get a water balloon (because it’s my favorite) .  

I understand completely well you want to know WHAT IT IS (following cookie).  The little child is interested in this, kaleidoscope.  

I spent weeks to make a kaleidoscope but actually I have not figured out how to make it.

 I used colored dough (orange for this cookie).  This is the bottom part of my kaleidoscope.

 The ring-shaped cookie was sandwiched by sheets of gelatin.  Between the sheets I put gold colored crystal sugar.

 I have assembled above two parts.

I am not satisfied with what I have made at all (this does not look like a kaleidoscope)  but I hope what I made might inspire somebody and cookie kaleidoscope is made by somebody else. 

Kokura Gion Daiko Festival in English (there are some photos):  https://www.gururich-kitaq.com/en/search/tag/detail.phpid=27&cat=&area=&tag=Festivals&page=1

My city has many other festivals and in August we have a festival that has famous festivals of towns at a time in one area.   You-tube is here https://youtu.be/UgKWECTNh70

https://www.gururich-kitaq.com...Festivals&page=1

 @D&S has posted Japanese Festival cookies and if you see her set, you are going to know more about Japanese festivals.  The following is her entry.  http://cookieconnection.juliau...eses-summer-festival

Amazing set again, Ryoko! Your kaleidoskope is brilliant! Everyhting is so beautiful!

carouselselsel posted:

Amazing set again, Ryoko! Your kaleidoskope is brilliant! Everyhting is so beautiful!

Oh Zara, that kaleidoscope is really my headache but since I have tried, I posted it.   Thank you, you are soooo sweet like your cake and cookies. 

What a wonderful set!

Cookie Me This ~ Heidi posted:

What a wonderful set!

Thank you, Heidi.

Thank you for sharing all about the Summer Festival, Ryoko. I'm happy to learn about other cultures and traditions, and your cookies always tell the most interesting stories. And I must say that your piping skills are improving exponentially! 

Sweet Prodigy - Christine posted:

Thank you for sharing all about the Summer Festival, Ryoko. I'm happy to learn about other cultures and traditions, and your cookies always tell the most interesting stories. And I must say that your piping skills are improving exponentially! 

Hi Christine, you are an angel to say above to me.  Thank you.  I still avoid straight lines especially long ones but I tried different recipes of royal icing, different consistencies, different pressure and the most importantly I go to swim to hold my breath!    

Thank you for reading my explanation of our local summer festivals.

Thank you for the detailed explanation about your cookie set! The Chinese characters are so beautiful, I wish I could write that way!!

Brilliant detail - good job

Awesome set!!! LOVE ❤️❤️❤️

mintlemonade (cookie crumbs) posted:

Thank you for the detailed explanation about your cookie set! The Chinese characters are so beautiful, I wish I could write that way!!

Valerie J posted:

Brilliant detail - good job

Thank you

Evelindecora posted:

Awesome set!!! LOVE ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you, Evelin

The whole set is stunning, Ryoko, and I really loved to read about your tradition! My favorite are the tiny fish ❤️. Awesome work!

swissophie posted:

The whole set is stunning, Ryoko, and I really loved to read about your tradition! My favorite are the tiny fish ❤️. Awesome work!

Hi Sonja, thank you.   I remember I got some goldfish at summer festival when I was small.  Good memory. 

Wow, so gorgeous!!! I love your kaleidoscope♡

I love reading about your tradition illustrated by your cookies. And reading about tradition helps to notice all the details in the cookies.

D&S posted:

Wow, so gorgeous!!! I love your kaleidoscope♡

Thank you

Manu posted:

I love reading about your tradition illustrated by your cookies. And reading about tradition helps to notice all the details in the cookies.

Hi Manu.  Japan is full of summer festivals now.  

I love this set, and learning the story behind it! I think the level of detail is incredible, especially that Happi - I like how you represented the phoenix, with the two-toned icing. I really appreciate the effort you put into the kaleidoscope, and definitely think it looks quite good! You are too hard on yourself! Maybe one way of doing a kaleidoscope would to be to do the top part the same as you did, but to pipe compartments for the cookie underneath, and fill the separate compartments with tiny sprinkles and sugar crystals? I shall definitely be thinking more about that! Finally, I thought it interesting that festval food must be the same every where!  We just finished the "Taste of Chicago," a giant food festival here, where you buy al of the same things!  It is a very small world, indeed.  Wonderful entry!    

Bakerloo Station posted:

I love this set, and learning the story behind it! I think the level of detail is incredible, especially that Happi - I like how you represented the phoenix, with the two-toned icing. I really appreciate the effort you put into the kaleidoscope, and definitely think it looks quite good! You are too hard on yourself! Maybe one way of doing a kaleidoscope would to be to do the top part the same as you did, but to pipe compartments for the cookie underneath, and fill the separate compartments with tiny sprinkles and sugar crystals? I shall definitely be thinking more about that! Finally, I thought it interesting that festval food must be the same every where!  We just finished the "Taste of Chicago," a giant food festival here, where you buy al of the same things!  It is a very small world, indeed.  Wonderful entry!    

Thank you.  We have traditional food at festival but they are so brown and I am afraid that nobody could guess how they taste, they are Okonomiyaki, takoyaki, ningyo-yaki....  those something-yaki are so brown.   But now I think it might be interesting to introduce our food.  

Lovely work! Your cookies are so recognizable!

Cookieland by ZorniZZa posted:

Lovely work! Your cookies are so recognizable!

Thank you