Kokeshi Adventures こけしの冒険: Michinoku Kokeshi Festival Banquet みちのくこけし祭の宴会

On the evening of 5 October the Tokyo Friends of Kokeshis Association 東京こけし友の会 held a banquet for a number of kokeshi makers along with enthusiasts from Tokyo, Yamagata, and elsewhere. It was held in the Yamagata Washington Hotel in downtown Yamagata City where everyone was staying, located across the street from the Nana Beans Building where the Kokeshi Festival was being held. Naoko, the girls and I also attended, and I'll sum it up by saying that a great time was had by all! The amount of food that kept coming to the table seemed endless, and for those who drank alcohol there was a constant flow of beer and sake, helped along by my two sweet young daughters who walked around the room ensuring that everyone's glasses were full. Of course it wouldn't have been a kokeshi party without kokeshis, and all those in attendance received a number and then got a complimentary kokeshi, many created by the very craftsmen sitting in the room with us. It was really a great night and I can't recommend enough attending this event next year.

The entrance to the Yamagata Washington Hotel.

Across the street from the Washington Hotel (the brick red building in the background) is this really nice area that has taken advantage of one of the cities old waterways. The traditional-looking black building has a number of really nice shops selling traditional Japanese and Yamagata-made goods, though I didn't see any kokeshis.