My Agra- Delhi trip

It was our dream trip to one of the biggest cities in India, New Delhi in September 2017. We booked our flight tickets 3 months ago via makemytrip.com which we got for 10000 rupees per person. Ten days prior to our trip, after so many investigations and review analysis through TripAdvisor and similar sites, we booked a hotel at Paharganj which was some 7 minutes walking distance from the New Delhi railway station. Hotel Hari Piorko, was one of the good hotels at a reasonable rate when I searched in MakeMyTrip. Then, we also booked round-trip tickets for Gatimaan express and one day pass for the Delhi HOHO bus.

Trivandrum-New Delhi

We started our journey to New Delhi on Sep 18 by Indigo airlines on Sep 18th afternoon. We arrived at the Indira Gandhi international airport domestic terminal at 4.20pm. From there, we booked a prepaid taxi to our hotel. The taxi cost 400 rupees.

Travelling through the busy streets of New Delhi, we saw many street vendors selling coconut pieces, Poori etc. in the traffic. The taxi driver dropped us at the main bazaar road which was a very crowded street with people, both locals and tourists, rickshaws, street vendors and even animals. We walked to the hotel 5 minutes ahead and get our room keys after submitting our ID cards and other details.

After dropping our baggage at our room, we went outside and walked through the road just in front of the hotel. There were so many vendors- food, handicrafts, jewelry, clothes and so on both sides of that narrow street through which rickshaws, pedestrians, and animals like cows and dogs compete with each other to find their space. We entered a restaurant on the street to have our dinner. We ordered a Biriyani and Chapathi with Paneer curry. It was one of the most delicious meals that we ate from New Delhi.

Sep 19, Agra

According to our trip plans, we went to Agra on the very first day. I have heard from some friends, taxi and rickshaws will charge us with more amount if they saw tourists. Since we are not good at Hindi, bargaining in the streets of Delhi was impossible. Also, I have a really worse picture of the Delhi's from some people. So we asked the hotel reception to book a taxi for us to the Nizamuddin Railway station. They charged us 500 rupees and we thought that the station will be quite far from the Hotel. So we started at 6 am as our train was at 7.10 am. The taxi that we got was really bad conditioned(for what we paid) and in 15 minutes we reached the Nizamuddin station. By that day evening, we could understand that we were charged much higher than the actual fare. Actually, it was the most expensive journey throughout our Delhi trip.

We waited at the Nizamuddin station for about an hour to get on the train. From the canteen near the station, we bought Idli and sambar(as our kid like it only) which I don't like to call Idli, it tasted really bad.

At Nizamuddin station

Gatimaan express started from the Nizamuddin station at 7.10 am which took us to the Agra Cantt station in 2 hours and 40 minutes. The journey by Gatimaan express was very comfortable.
1. Punctual 2. Good facilities 3. Best staff and services 4. Delicious meals

Gatimaan Express

We hired an autorickshaw from the station, 600 rupees per day. Our taxi driver was very kind and he explained about all the places throughout the journey. He didn't forget to give advice about the problems we have to face in Taj Mahal and other places he took us to.

Forenoon at Taj Mahal

We first went to Taj Mahal. We already had our entry tickets taken online. We submitted the tickets at the south entrance of Taj Mahal. Foods, beverages, and even papers or books are not allowed inside the Taj grounds. We were advised by our driver not to take drinks and food inside, but we had a kid's cartoon book with us, which was thrown away at the entrance.

Those irritating photographers: From the south entrance, we walked towards the gate that leads to the great Taj Mahal grounds. It was somewhat crowded, actually not by the visitors, but the photographers who were covering us from all directions, like the bees surrounding flowers. It was really very irritating, that we couldn't enjoy the sight around us. I told them that I have a camera, I will take photos as per our needs, but they were making fun of me. Like 'you aren't professionals, you don't know the perfect angles for taking photos here' and so on. Anyway, I just ignored them. Beyond the gate, we stood in front of the Taj for taking a photo and one of those photographers grabbed our camera telling that he will take our picture with our camera. I thought for a while and answered 'Okay'. But anyway he started taking photos with his camera and took us to some other corners of the Taj ground. Even though I kept asking him to stop it and we don't need more than one photograph, he took some 40 photos. I asked him why you are carrying our camera with you, don't you promised that you will take photos with that. Then he took some 2-3 photos in that. He was not at all stopping his clicks regardless of my requests. At last, I was forced to get angry with him. I told him that I need only the print of that very first photo which you took in front of the Tajmahal. He showed the photos and insisted to take everything, one print 50 rupees and for the softcopy 40 rupees per photograph. As I was totally irritated in that hot sun, along with my hubby trying to hold my baby who was running into the fountain. I had no time to even see those pictures. I told him my last word that I don't need any other picture. Thus we lost the sights and enjoyments up to that point of Taj Mahal grounds.

Walk through the Taj grounds

We walked forward, taking some photos along with controlling our kid from running into that fountain. It was very hot(about 37-degree Celsius). Before entering the Taj Mahal, we have to either remove our shoes or cover it. Some people were walking barefooted, while most of them bought some white cotton covers from a shoe keeping area in front of Taj Mahal. We also bought two pairs of it, they asked to give any amount of money as we wish. We paid 10 rupees there and walked forward.

The beauty of Taj Mahal and its surroundings couldn't be enjoyed fully in 2 or 3 hours. I think you need a complete day in there. The Yamuna river, cows grazing at the other bank of it, the Agra Fort which is seen at some distance, everything should have to be enjoyed while walking around Taj. Cameras are not allowed inside the Mahal, which is the Tomb of Mumtaz. It is somewhat dark inside, where visitors are allowed to walk in a queue.

The worst part of the entire trip is that, travelling with the kids in this hottest sun without even a bottle of water. We could understand that there is a chance for people to throw away the used plastic bottles or spill water on the white marbles which is dangerous. But we saw so many kids crying for water while entering the Mahal. A group of people who were in front of us returned without entering the Mahal, as their kid was crying for water and food. Even we were feeling thirsty, after walking such a long distance through the grounds of Taj Mahal, some 30 minutes wasted with that photographer. We entered inside the Taj Mahal which has a really calm atmosphere inside it.
Because our kid also started asking for water, we moved to the entrance gate hurriedly. And the next problem was waiting outside.
As we were walking towards our auto to grab the water bottle, some boys called us telling that they have our photographs. They showed it, and I gave 100 rupees. They were telling us that they have no balance, and gave some crafts instead of the balance. I told him that I didn't like that. We were actually thinking of getting some more photos from the shop as softcopy. We felt pity for that photographer as he took so many pictures and I got angry at him(as it was my mood then). And my baby was crying for water. So we preferred giving water to our kid than talking with those boys or getting the printed photograph. I gave him 45 rupees, which was the only change I had with me. They didn't accept that as well. So I gave the print back to them and told that I don't want it. We walked forward with our kid. Then one of the boys followed us to give the print as well as the balance amount. Even though we had plans to buy some crafts from there, this incident and our kid's situation made us forget about that.
What I think about the photography at Taj Mahal and other tourists spots is, those who wish to have some photos taken by those professionals should approach them, if there is a unique ticketing system for that also. Each photographer can take their turn than running behind every tourists which is very very irritating.
Our taxi driver took us to one of the good hotels in Agra, where we had our lunch. We ordered nan and palak paneer which was yummy.

Afternoon at Agra Fort

After lunch, we went to Agra Fort. Before going to the fort, the driver explained about the fort and gave instructions about what to see and gave cautions about the photographers. We took our tickets from the ticketing office and get inside. It was not so crowded. There were not many photographers surrounding us like that in the Taj Mahal.

Agra Fort

 There were so many options to take a rest in the shade of trees and buildings. We enjoyed our walk through the Fort. Really wished if this calmness was at Taj Mahal, where we couldn't enjoy well. There were no restrictions for water here. But the food was not allowed, I carried some biscuits for my kid. The kind securities of Agra fort allowed me to take it with me.
We talked with a group of people from Holand who were on a trip of 15 days. We took enough rest there, our kid enjoyed running in between the pillars, and watching the squirrels who were fed by the people there.

Then our driver took us to some famous handicraft shops of Agra, from where we bought a small replica of Taj Mahal made out of white marble(450 rupees), some wallets etc. Then we went to a sweet shop for buying the famous Agra Petah.

After shopping, we reached back at the station an hour prior to our train departure. We waited there on the platform. The sight on the platform was really pathetic when compared to that of the railway stations of Kerala.

Gatimaan express departed at 17.50 from Agra Cantt station which took us to Nizamuddin station in 100 minutes. We reached there at sharp 19.30. From there, we hired an autorickshaw to our Hotel, paid 60 rupees(at night, instead of 500 that we paid in the morning).
At this time, we could understand the power of bargaining in Delhi. Without bargaining, they will charge the tourists a lot. The people of Delhi and surrounding areas are living with exploiting the tourists. If we are able to talk in their language, we can win them. We decided not to depend on one the hotel reception for another taxi.

Septemeber 20- Delhi sightseeing

For Delhi sightseeing, we booked the HOHO bus which starts at 8.30 am from HOHO Center at Baba Kharak SinMargrg. We walked through the streets of Paharganj and searched for a restaurant to have our breakfast. No shops were open at 7.30am. At last, we had some Poori and curry from a small street stall. It doesn't look hygienic, but we had no other options at that time.

Then we hired a rickshaw to Connaught Place police station. But what he dropped us at some other part of Connaught place, even though I told him we want to reach in front of the police station. We wandered there, without knowing the place. Even google map confused us. At last, I seek the help of a college student, who told me that we have to walk 10 minutes to reach our destination, better hire an autorickshaw. Thus we hired an auto to the HOHO bus point. I am not yet sure why the rickshaw dropped us at that place even though we paid him what he asked.

HOHO bus was really convenient than expected for Delhi sightseeing.The bus runs slowly through the roads of Delhi while the guide explained about the buildings seen on both sides of the way. Among the many stops of HOHO bus at the tourist spots, we can choose our destination as per our wish. The chain of HOHO bus will pick up from the same point., each reaching in every 40minutes. We went to Gurudwara Birla Mandir, India Gate, Qutab Minar, Humayun's Tomb and Red fort on that day. Even though we had a plan of dropping at Raj Ghat, we waited for 2 and a half hours at the Red fort due to the heavy traffic block created by the rally related to Ramleela festival. So the last HOHO bus dropped us back the HOHO bus center.
The one and only demerit I am feeling about HOHO bus is related to this traffic issue. Ramleela is a festival in North Inia every year. And of course, this kind of rallies and programs will be conducted in the Red Fort area every year on the same day, which is known to all the local people. Being a tourist service, HOHO bus might have given the travelers a warning about this at least before getting on the bus in the morning or on the way. For those toursits in Delhi, it will be a great help so that we can plan based on that.

At the tourist spots

Gurudwara Birla Mandir

Gurudwara Birla Mandir is a really calm and quiet worship area of the Sikh religion.It is a beautiful and nice place to stay and meditate in the midst of the busy life outside. India gate had some photographers, among which one of them told that he will take photos in our camera which we agreed. He took some nice pictures with our camera, for which we paid him.

India Gate

Qutab Minar

We had lunch at a Kerala Hotel at Dilli Hatt(INA Market). Dilli Hatt has almost all kinds of shops and restaurants from every Indian state.

Humayun's Tomb

We spend 2-time slots of HOHO bus at Qutab Minar(40+40 minutes) and then went to Humayun's tomb. Both places offered nice shades of greenery to take a rest after walking in the hot sun.

Red Fort, New Delhi

The red fort was crowded with people as there was some programs related with Dussehra was being conducted on that day. It made HOHO bus stuck in the traffic jam and we waited in front of the fort for a long time. We missed one of the places in our list because of that traffic jam.

Sep 21: Lotus temple, Jantar Mantar

The plan for our last day in Delhi was the lotus temple and Jantar Mantar along with some shopping. We went by metro rail to Kalkhaji mandir station, the train was crowded all day long.

Lotus temple allowed us taking food and water(not allowable) as per my request for our kid. It was very clean and beautiful place with lawns and flowering plants.



 The lotus temple standing in between a pool is a meditation hall in the shape of lotus flower, with natural light entering inside through the petals of the flower. As full silence should be kept inside and our kid didn't allow it for a long time, we got only some 5 minutes inside the hall, even though we wished to spend more. We went outside and spent some time under a tree. On the way back to the metro station, we entered the Kalkaji Mandir, where some festival was going on. It was crowded on both sides of the narrow path leading toward the temple. The path had vendors selling offerings item for the temple. The temple and the customs there was entirely different from ours.

We caught our train to Rajiv Chauk metro station, from where we walked towards the Jantar Mantar. On the way, we entered the Charka museum.


After visiting Jantar Mantar we hired an auto rickshaw to our hotel and took our baggage which was left at the reception. Then did some shopping from the streets of Paharganj. Even though we planned to reach the airport by metro, an auto driver promised us to take us to the Airport domestic terminal (250 rupees). We agreed and he dropped us at the airport. We had our lunch from a stall at the airport. At 4 pm we said goodbye to the capital city of India.

Tips for South Indians travelling to Delhi and Agra(Sightseeing)

Recently, the number of South Indian tourists in New Delhi is increasing. When we planned a trip to Delhi and  Agra, we talked with some friends who have been living there and those who have gone for a trip in the recent years. These are some highlights of their advice:
1. Don't hire a taxi by yourselves. Taxi drivers will charge you a lot. Ask the hotel reception to get a taxi for you.
2. Always be cautious about the people surrounding you. They will try to bully you or rob you.
3. Don't travel to Delhi by train or bus as it is always packed up and difficult to travel with the locals.
4. Better travel between Delhi and Agra by a private taxi.

And, with my experience, I could say that these are completely wrong.

This is what I want to tell you.

What I want to tell you South Indian friends who are planning a trip to Delhi is don't be upset about what is waiting for you there. Delhi is in India, even though lots of differences are there between our place and capital city. please note that these are for those friends who want to make a trip to Delhi Agra by spending only the reasonable charges to your travel and stay. Those who are not willing to bargain or talk with the people around you, please don't read the following points.

Stay and travel planning 
 If you are for the first time in Delhi, make a good plan about what to do and where to go. Paharganj is the area near New Delhi railway station where the hotels are located in large numbers. The main bazaar road in front of the New Delhi railway station is one of the very busiest streets of Delhi, where hotels are situated on both sides of the road. You can see street vendors and shops on both sides. You can get anything you want from here. Low priced hotels to five-star restaurants are located here. You can find a hotel as per your need in this area.

1. Better get the hotels booked through some online sites(like makemytrip) as you can find a better price and check the reviews.
2. Must check the reviews(tripadvisor) on the hotels you have selected before going ahead for booking it.
3. If possible, it will be convenient if you take the entry tickets for monuments online. If you have mobile internet you can do it on the same day you are planning to go. But I advise to do it beforehand.

About transportation
1. If you are a group of people more than 4, I think taxi is a best and reasonable option to travel inside Delhi.
2. Hiring an autorickshaw/ rickshaw/ taxi in Delhi is reasonable or costlier depending on you. If you don't mind talking with the driver and fixing the price before entering the taxi, it is the best option to get paid with the most reasonable fare. Than asking the hotel reception to book a taxi for you(which will be costly), you can ask the reception how much it will cost between the points you are going to travel. You can ask the driver how much it will cost to go to your destination and compare it with that told by the hotel person. If you think it is fine, then only get inside and go.
3. Dot try to call a taxi from in front of your hotel, as the drivers could understand that you are a tourist and charge more.
4. There is a chance that the driver will tell you an amount far more than the original price. Be courageous to tell the last price(bargaining) to him. Sometimes, he will never ever agree with it. Or he will slip to your end. If he says a big NO, better call and talk with some other taxi(taxi is available in plenty on the roads of Delhi). For me, I don't like to travel with the same driver if we have talked for the fare a lot.
3. A lot of bus tour programs are there in Delhi which assures that they will cover the most important sites there. I am not sure about it. Even if they cove the places in their listing I wonder if they keep the timings or let you enjoy the places as you want to. I won't recommend it if you are conscious about the time and want the freedom to enjoy the sites. If you need not bother about where to go next, how to go etc. better go for such a bus tour.

4. HOHO bus is the sightseeing bus of Delhi which is a very convenient way for travelling there. It covers all the important tourist spots of Delhi. This is a chain of buses which reaches the destination in every 40 minutes. You can pay 530 rupees(it may be sometimes less than this depending on the season) for a day. You can spend as much time as you want on every site if your list of sites is less.
They will give you the time schedule and the list of sites the bus is travelling to. They will explain about the main buildings and sights seen on both sides of the roads(in Hindi). An English commentary is also played in between. The bus makes stop at every destination. You can get off at the places you want to visit, go around and watch everything as per your interest. After sightseeing, what you have to do is reach the bus stop according to the scheduled timing given to you(check the paper they give you when boarding the bus). They will take you the next place and at last drop you in front of the HOHO bus information centre.
5. Delhi metro is a nice option to travel around New Delhi tourist sites. The minimum charge is 10 rupees and you can travel around without bothering about the traffic issues. The main issue about metro is that it will be mostly crowded. If you have children's accompanying you, or if you are a group of more than 5 people, sometimes it will be difficult to manage travelling by Delhi metro.
To Agra
4. Travelling between Delhi and Agra in taxi or bus is the worst among the decisions made by you. It takes roughly 4 hours(may be more depending on the traffic).
5. Gatimaan express is the best option to travel between Delhi and Agra. It takes you from Delhi Nizamudhin station to Agra Cantt station in 100 minutes. Gatimaan is the fastest train in India with no transit stops. They will provide better service, meals(optional) and it is very punctual. It starts from Nizamuddin station at 7.10am and reached Agra Cantt at 9.40am.
6. Within Agra, there is no need of booking a taxi priorly. There are government verified taxi/ autorickshaw services available from the station. It costs 1200 rupees for a taxi car and 600 rupees for an autorickshaw for a whole day. It will depend on your driver, there is a chance that they may ask you for a tip. If you want to tip him or not is up to you, else pay as per the rule.

Food and shopping
Food is the prime thing that we have to consider while travelling. If you are a person having issues with stomach, you should take enough care. Better go for some good restaurants, even if you have to pay more. Health is everything, and without that, you can't make your trip fruitful.

1. You can try cuisines from the local vendors on the street. Pani poori and other items are found very common on the streets of Delhi. You can taste it from there or from some local stalls which are very cheaper. I am not sure how much hygienic it is. You can look around and evaluate the conditions from the surroundings itself.
2. Eating at the hotel you are staying will be convenient, check the menu and decide it as per your budget and interest.
3. Don't be lazy to walk around, search for shops/ restaurants nearby. You can find a better option outside while watching the streets and doing some street shopping.
4. If buying fruit items, please look around for some fruit stalls. Try not to rely on the fruit vendors on the streets, as it will not be tasty.
5. Shopping on the streets in Delhi is all about bargaining. You a bargain with the vendors, if you know Hindi it will be more convenient for you and them. Stay back and watch the way local people bargains. You can't do like them, but make a try. Isn't everything a new experience??

At the tourist spots

1. Photography: Most places in Delhi allows photography. You can take your camera(don't forget to charge your battery daily).
2. At Taj Mahal, Agra fort, India gate etc., you will come across so many professional photographers coming behind you asking for taking your photos. It is more worse at Taj Mahal. For me, it was irritating. They will not allow us to go ahead without them. If you are not professional photographers, and you want to have some good pictures of you and your family in front of Taj Mahal, you can ask one of them to take some photos for you. Of course, they will not stop with one or two. They will make you stand and sit in various position and take some 50 photos and ask you to select form it. They will give either the print out of those pictures or the soft copy. You can bargain with them for a better price.
3. Ask them to take photos on your camera(if you have a good camera) and tell them that you will pay some amount for that at he spot. This is a best option sot hat you will get a lot of photos in your camera, at a better price.
4. At Taj Mahal, they wont allow food, drinks and even papers or books inside your bags. They will open it and check the bag, will take off this kinfd of items if any. Even those travelling with kids are not allowed to take even water in Taj Mahal. At Agra fort and lotus temple also, food and water are not allowed. For those travelling with kids can request the security officers for carrying food or water. They will ask you not to open it or throw the wastes while you are inside the monument grounds. Please obey them, its part of cleanliness of our historical monuments nad tourist spots where lots of people are coming everyday.
5. Please don't behave rudely to other tourists around you. There will be Indians from other states and foreigners around you. You are going to represent your state or sometimes your nation. If you behave oddly, they might be bearing in mind that all Indians or all S.Indians are like this. So try to be kind and generous to all around you even if you are upset with the tiredness of the trip and the surroundings.

Happy journey. And safe trip...

My experience of part time working at Japanese sekkotsuin

Seikotsuin is a new word and a new place for me once I reached there to assist my friend working at the reception and assisting the Sensei(doctor) of Seikotsuin. Its a massaging center of Japanese style. They have some masagging chairs and other equipment there. The one I went was the Watanabe seikotsuin of Tajimi near the Tajimi station. Watanabe sensei is really kind and she tried explaining things in English. As I was exposed to Japanese fully at this place it was really difficult for me during the first days. I was supposed to help my friend, Mrs. Nittaya(Noi) in cleaning and my job is to enter the details of the patients in  the computer and help in other matters like documentation and other things. By a month, I also become part of that Seikotsuin.

Due to some physical problems I took a gap of around half a month from there and again joined. We had a great time there. Most of the patients coming there were old people, with their body pains and other issues. The main part of the treatment is some special tapes. There were tapes of three different sizes which has the shape of a gate and there were other shapes too. Based on some details about the pain and the part of the body, Sensei will do massaging and paste these tapes over specified parts of the patient's body. At last, most of them were given some pricking in the back side of their toe which I was scared of seeing. The pricks were done using burned incense sticks. 

When Noichan got sick for some days in between, I was supposed to do everything at the Seikotsuin. The main part is taking some readings of every patient using an instrument there. Sensei explained it to me and I rote it in a piece of paper for my personal usage. The first time, it was difficult for me to carry out this part as I have to check my piece of paper frequently. Later, it was interesting for me and I could do it without checking everytime. But the days when Noichan was absent were sometimes difficult to manage everything alone if the number of patients increases. 

As the patients are mostly old people most o therm are friendly and patient.They will not rush at all. It is actually a real relief for me during my first days.As I took time for returning the balance amount and prepare their documents ready when they come, they will wait with patience. Later I managed myself to carry out everything and talked with most of them about myself and India as they wish to know various things. Most of the old ladies are talkative and they like to talk to us if we are free. Some of them will bring souvenirs and presents for us when returning from their trips. Some have different hobbies like doll making, bag making, gardening, flower making and so on. Such people used to bring veggies, flower bouquets, and other items or us. Even they used to bring home made Japanese food items also. The people coming there will be coming again and again as the treatment should be carried out for some days .

 I went there for improving my Japanese which I achieved to a great extend. I had only the morning session that is officially till 12 pm or sometimes it will last for 1 pm or even after that. After the morning session at the clinic, we ate lunch together which all of us take from home. We exchanged various food items. From there, I learned to eat Japanese food items, experimented eating new foods. Sensei explained many Japanese things: about the food , language usages and so on during our lunch time.

My friend who as already working there is a native of Thailand and married to a Japanese staying here in Tajimi with her two children. Sensei is a native of Kyushu island of Tajimi and she moved with her hubby to Tajimi. Eventhough she is around 60 years old she is very energetic and loves hiking and travelling. She is still trying to learn English well but her busy schedule is a bottleneck for her efforts.:(

I learned many Kanji characters and their reading and was able to read some of the names of the patients and I was able to prepare the admit card and other documents ready for  new patients after some time. The main advantage of my  time there is that I learned to manage the money : to easily tell the amount in Japanese and understand what the customers are telling back, to return the exact balance amount with telling the amount tot hem and so on. Also I learned the way to behave int he polite Japanese style to the patients and other people. The usages of some Japanese words and expressions and the correct way of doing things in the Japanese style : like in documentation as well as eating. :P

I am thankful to the Sensei as well as my friend, Nittaya who gave me a chance to join them for a long time of six months there. Also most of the customers who visited us during this time were friendly and helped me in one or other way with my Japanese. Thanks for their presents and cuisines they made for us. 

Hinamatsuri, the doll's festival

        Hinamasturi is a festival celebrated in Japan on the 3rd day of March. But some parts of Japan have celebrations and doll arrangements lasting for a month. Usually, it is celebrated in families having a girl child and hence it is considered as the Girl children's festival. A set of dolls will be arranged in every home in special order. The dolls as well as the arrangement in the traditional way is costly and hence some houses will have only to main dolls for celebrating the Hinamatsuri.

      The exact arrangement contains dolls arranged in six or seven platforms/steps and it is based on the reduced priority of their social status beginning from the top.  The upper two layers of dolls have twelve layers of Kimonos one over the other and it shows their social priority. They are the Emperor and the Empress and their closest people. 

    The topmost step has the Emperor(Odairisama : おだいりさま) and the Empress(Ohinasama : おひなさま). The Emperor have a baton in his hand and the Empress holds a fan. This step also has two lanterns on the edges and they are called Hibukuro. The second platform has three ladies holding different items in their hand and they are called san nin kanjou (さんにんかんじょ). The third line has five male musicians with their instruments. They are called gonin bayashi(ごにんばやし).The forth step holds the ministers named Udaijin(うだいじん) and Sadaijin(さだいじん), two Samurais with their weapons. It also holds a Sakura and some other plants.The next step has three people called san nin jyougo(さんにんじょうご)  with faces of various expressions - anger,cry and laugh. The last platforms contains some jewel boxes, carriages etc. and there were two Kimonos also held at the bottom stage. 
      
   The arrangement and the appearance of the Hinamatsuri dolls are really attractive. There is another children's day festival meant for the boys also. And it will be celebrated in May.

Have you seen Kabuki?

        Hearing about Japan, Kabuki is one of the word that comes into our mind. Kabuki has a long history until no as it has gone through many technological and timely changes. Kabuki shows are now conducted in special theaters and sometimes small shows of Kabuki will be conducted by various cities. And the Kabuki I have watched is of the second kind.

A Brief history 

       

       Kabuki is the most famous Japanese classical dance drama. It is said to be originated from Kyoto, the previous capital of Japan. During the ancient times, the performers were only ladies. But currently, all the roles are played by males. Kabuki theatres are present in big cities associated with tea houses,food courts, etc. provided with souvenir shops and other attractions. From its ancient form, Kabuki has made timely advancements in it's performances, clothing, music, stage arrangements, appearance etc. incorporating technology. The stories are told via music and it will be only a part of some long story. 

Types of story told

       Usually the stories fall into three main categories: Jidaimono which are the historical Samurai stories, Sewamono which tells the story from the current society-comic or love story and the Shosagoto which gave importance to dance. The artists who performs in Kabuki nowadays become popular in TV shows also.

Kabuki stage

          The Kabuki stage has a path extending out in to the audience and is called hanamichi( flowerpath). It was the entry path for the actors from during the ancient times.But as technology developed, the stage arrangements and actors' entry also made advancements including rotating stage,sudden appearance or disappearance of the actors, and flying artists. Mawari-butai is a rotating circular stage while Seri is the special arrangement which brings the artists or sometinmes an entire scene onto the stage as a whole. Special threads are used to hang the artists on the stage to make the characters fly on the stage which is called Chunori.

          As the artist show up on the stage, the audients will shout his name to encourage him. There will be music played in the background which uses special small drums  and Shamisan-a three string musical instrument. 

     Makeup

 The make up ( Keshou) for Kabuki mainly uses rice flour as the base. Based on the characters, different colours are used to complete the rest of the make up. Red lines indicates good characters and heroes, Blue or Black lines are for negative roles, for supernatural characters green lines are used and purple color is used for showing nobility. These lines are called Kumadori.

Where to watch?

         Usual theatre performances will conduct two or three different shows per day with entry tickets.  Sometimes local performances will be carried out in special stages at different cities. For small troupes people used to throw money wrapped in papers on to the stage. They might not be having entry tickets for the show.

Tsukushi, the edible weed

               
                        On the way to Inuyama with our friend's family, he suddenly stopped the car on the way, beside a paddy field. The field seemed to be bare with muddy surface and there were two people picking something from the sloping edges of the field. And we were really confused about why we are there. Then our companions also started bending down at the slopes and picking something from the ground. It was some weed, called tsukushi, the horsetail which will show up the stalks during the onset the spring and they told it is really delicious and can be used in Japanese dishes. 

                         As we people don't know how to cook it, we helped them with plucking some stalks for them which we collected in a cover. And we saw an old man with a cover full of stalks and still continuing his job over there. He seems to be picking it from the morning. Since it was really a quite place far away from the city and it as not at all crowded, it was really interesting to pluck it without any hindrance. As the rays are quite warmer even at the starting of spring, it was intolerable for us after some time. 

                   But we managed to pluck half a cover of the weed stalk while my friend explained the cooking procedure. His wife cooked some tsukushi for us the very next day. She cooked it in oil with meat  and it was delicious.

Umematsuri at Oo-Agata(Himenomiya) Shrine of Inuyama

           
                We visited the Oo-Agata Shrine during the Ume-matsuri (plum festival) on March 21,2015 and the entire plum trees were flowered by the time. 

                  There were a wide variety of plums from all over Japan with different colour shades : White, Pink and Rose being the dominant. The view of small mountain behind the shrine covered with plum trees of different colours is really exciting. 

                         The steps to the top of the mountain and the small pavements were adorned with the flower petals by the wind. The breeze seems charming when it showers over us the tiny petals to welcome us. The site form the top is still more interesting and couldn't feel like getting out of there leaving such a beautiful place. Since the winter has just leaved, the slightly cool breeze and the warm sun rays provided a better climate that allowed us to spend much more time over there without any problems. Everyone seems really enjoying the breeze as it showers a petal  'rain'. 

                      Oo agata is believed as the goddess of wedding and childbirth. The wooden wishing plaques(ema) of this shrine were written the wish for a child or better married life.

                    The shrine had a lot of visitors and hence a lot of small souvenir shops including a small plant and fruit stall. There was some grant event called Oagata Jinja Hohnen-sai(Harvest festival) held on March 15th every year and this year's had just done last week. There were still some rituals and programs being conducted there.

After spending some time infront of the shrine, we waited at the place arranged or some event ithout knowing when or hat is going ton there. The seats arranged there were simply awesome. We sat there for some 30 minutes. As there is nothing happening till then, we decided to return.