Growing up on Kauai, we spent our summers going to the different Bon Dance on our side of the island. The music, the food, the games, and just hanging out with family and friends made it a special way to spend the summer weekends. I was so sad when I moved to Oahu and found that the Bon Dances here weren't nearly the same, and over time, I didn't even bother going unless we were at home. But, this year my brother told us about the yearly Okinawan festival that also combines with the final Bon Dance of the season. And so...we went to check it out.
Sadly, I was absolutely starving when we got there, so there are no pictures of the awesome food. We had sushi, chicken plate, yakitori sticks, andadogs (first one, and then a second, and I think even a third), an oki dog, and andagi. Oh...and then later, shave ice.
After we were full enough, we headed toward the games. Ola headed straight for the bouncers and decided to try an obstacle course first. He was a bit confused as to what he was supposed to do and where he was supposed to go, as is evident by his face in this picture.
Luckily, mommy could barely see over the edge and tried to guide him through as best as possible.
After our fair share of obstacle courses, bouncy houses, and inflated slides, Ola and Daddy headed for the mini golf. By the end, he was kind of getting the hang of it.
And our last game was go fish. When I was a kid, this was my favorite Bon Dance game. But back then, all you had to do was hold your pole out and they'd throw your line over a wall, attach a prize and give it a little tug. When you pulled your line back, you had a prize. Here, Ola actually had to catch his fish (or in this case, crab).
He was VERY focused and got it right away. Then took it off, threw it back, and went again. lol. Eventually, he took his "catch" to the prize table and chose his goodies.
Once we'd had our fill of games, we just let the kids run around for a while. We tried to snap a family picture, but with our crazies, this is the best we got. lol. Gotta love em!
While no Bon Dance will ever be the same as the ones I grew up loving, we did have a fun afternoon. And the kids loved it, which is really what matters.
Oh, and one last shot. As we were walking to our car, Kupa'a made a new friend.
He was so tiny (as is obvious next to our already tiny child) and very sweet. He let Kupa'a hang around and pet him, but really, I'm not sure Pa'a knew what to do with something so much smaller than himself.
Sadly, I was absolutely starving when we got there, so there are no pictures of the awesome food. We had sushi, chicken plate, yakitori sticks, andadogs (first one, and then a second, and I think even a third), an oki dog, and andagi. Oh...and then later, shave ice.
After we were full enough, we headed toward the games. Ola headed straight for the bouncers and decided to try an obstacle course first. He was a bit confused as to what he was supposed to do and where he was supposed to go, as is evident by his face in this picture.
Luckily, mommy could barely see over the edge and tried to guide him through as best as possible.After our fair share of obstacle courses, bouncy houses, and inflated slides, Ola and Daddy headed for the mini golf. By the end, he was kind of getting the hang of it.
And our last game was go fish. When I was a kid, this was my favorite Bon Dance game. But back then, all you had to do was hold your pole out and they'd throw your line over a wall, attach a prize and give it a little tug. When you pulled your line back, you had a prize. Here, Ola actually had to catch his fish (or in this case, crab).
He was VERY focused and got it right away. Then took it off, threw it back, and went again. lol. Eventually, he took his "catch" to the prize table and chose his goodies.Once we'd had our fill of games, we just let the kids run around for a while. We tried to snap a family picture, but with our crazies, this is the best we got. lol. Gotta love em!
While no Bon Dance will ever be the same as the ones I grew up loving, we did have a fun afternoon. And the kids loved it, which is really what matters.
Oh, and one last shot. As we were walking to our car, Kupa'a made a new friend.
He was so tiny (as is obvious next to our already tiny child) and very sweet. He let Kupa'a hang around and pet him, but really, I'm not sure Pa'a knew what to do with something so much smaller than himself.
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