It's all fun & games until someone loses an eye. Which didn't happen. Even though sword-fighting was involved. Kids wielding swords. It was great.
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This all went down at the Koi Festival on Belle Isle. In it's second year, the fest was bigger and better than the inaugural event held last year. The Koi Festival celebrates Asian culture, specifically the traditions of Japan. The festival takes the place of the unique Detroit tradition of the Koi Transfer, which no longer exists because the fish have a heated pond now, stay tuned for their feature on Cribs, Aquatic Edition.
So no buckets required, but still a fun time. There were live performances courtesy of the Great Lakes Taiko Center Drum ensemble and an action-packed demonstration of traditional combat-fighting styles from the Detroit Kendo Dojo Martial Arts. Kids were invited to participate in a sword-fight, which was the highlight of the festival for my daughter.
The Belle Isle Conservancy knocked themselves out this year, introducing a ton of traditional Japanese games that kept the kids busy for hours, no joke. The cool thing was that the games weren't too frustrating-- but they held the kids interest for a really long time, which is usually impossible! All ages looked like they were having a great time.
The first game they tried was YoYo Tsuri. The yo-yo was a colorful water-filled balloon, that kids had to "catch" the balloon with a paperclip on a string made from tissue paper or some similar material. This was tricky and hard to "win" but I didn't see any tears from anyone because the kids were able to choose a balloon to play with. You just slip your finger into the looped rubber band at the end, and bounce it up and down like a yo-yo. All Day Fun.
I loved when the girls played Daruma Otoshi, aka The Falling Buddha--- the traditional version of Jenga played for centuries in Japan. This was a tricky one. The object is to knock the center blocks of the Daruma out, with a tiny hammer, while still keeping the doll in tact. In three tries. Yeah, it was hard!
The kids were surprisingly good at Kendama. Basically, toss a ball into the air and try to catch it on one of two cups or on the spike. Very tricky, but both girls managed to "win" after practicing for an eternity (like 20 minutes). I saw a patience I've never witnessed before-- I'm hoping to see it again, but def won't hold my breath.
Kingyo Sukui, aka Goldfish Scooping was a blast for every kid I saw playing the game. Kids were given a paper scoop (yes- you read that right)! and had to life bouncy balls and tiny plastic fish from the pool of water. Was it tricky- Yes, was it so much fun- Yes!
So although I'm kinda sad about no more scooping our Koi friends in buckets and stuffing our faces with hawt dawgs to celebrate--- I am totally excited to visit the Koi in their permanent home and celebrate them at the Koi Festival. See ya next year!
Related: Buckets + Belle Isle = The Koi Transfer
RockStar Tip: Belle Isle is getting packed on weekends, y'all! We used to mosey on in to the aquarium or the conservatory on a Saturday afternoon and we were the only ones there. Not anymore! So my advice to you, is pack up the fam after breakfast and get there as the gates open, at 10; it's a better experience and the kids aren't as tired and impossible to deal with!
So no buckets required, but still a fun time. There were live performances courtesy of the Great Lakes Taiko Center Drum ensemble and an action-packed demonstration of traditional combat-fighting styles from the Detroit Kendo Dojo Martial Arts. Kids were invited to participate in a sword-fight, which was the highlight of the festival for my daughter.
The Belle Isle Conservancy knocked themselves out this year, introducing a ton of traditional Japanese games that kept the kids busy for hours, no joke. The cool thing was that the games weren't too frustrating-- but they held the kids interest for a really long time, which is usually impossible! All ages looked like they were having a great time.
The first game they tried was YoYo Tsuri. The yo-yo was a colorful water-filled balloon, that kids had to "catch" the balloon with a paperclip on a string made from tissue paper or some similar material. This was tricky and hard to "win" but I didn't see any tears from anyone because the kids were able to choose a balloon to play with. You just slip your finger into the looped rubber band at the end, and bounce it up and down like a yo-yo. All Day Fun.
I loved when the girls played Daruma Otoshi, aka The Falling Buddha--- the traditional version of Jenga played for centuries in Japan. This was a tricky one. The object is to knock the center blocks of the Daruma out, with a tiny hammer, while still keeping the doll in tact. In three tries. Yeah, it was hard!
The kids were surprisingly good at Kendama. Basically, toss a ball into the air and try to catch it on one of two cups or on the spike. Very tricky, but both girls managed to "win" after practicing for an eternity (like 20 minutes). I saw a patience I've never witnessed before-- I'm hoping to see it again, but def won't hold my breath.
Kingyo Sukui, aka Goldfish Scooping was a blast for every kid I saw playing the game. Kids were given a paper scoop (yes- you read that right)! and had to life bouncy balls and tiny plastic fish from the pool of water. Was it tricky- Yes, was it so much fun- Yes!
So although I'm kinda sad about no more scooping our Koi friends in buckets and stuffing our faces with hawt dawgs to celebrate--- I am totally excited to visit the Koi in their permanent home and celebrate them at the Koi Festival. See ya next year!
Related: Buckets + Belle Isle = The Koi Transfer
RockStar Tip: Belle Isle is getting packed on weekends, y'all! We used to mosey on in to the aquarium or the conservatory on a Saturday afternoon and we were the only ones there. Not anymore! So my advice to you, is pack up the fam after breakfast and get there as the gates open, at 10; it's a better experience and the kids aren't as tired and impossible to deal with!
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Missed the event but don't want to miss out on the fun! Purchase your own Daruma Otoshi or Kendama on Amazon & let the games begin!
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