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While Halloween in Paris was so much fun, and it was sad to see teams eliminated from the race, it’s time to move on Amazing Hoop Racers. Where are we going? There are no clues to figure out this week, no detours, no roadblocks. Our next destination is Tokyo, Japan.

Tokyo is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and is the capital of the country and the largest metropolitan area. It is the seat of the Japanese government, the Imperial Palace and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family. The Tokyo Metropolitan government administers the twenty-three special wards of Tokyo and each ward is governed as a city. There are also 39 municipalities in the western part of the prefecture and two outlying island chains. The prefecture is one of the world’s most populated metropolitan areas on the planet with upwards of 35 million people and the world’s largest metropolitan economy. And yet, don’t let the size and population throw you. Tokyo was ranked the World’s Most Livable Megalopolis by Monocle magazine, and the Michelin Guide has awarded Tokyo by far the most Michelin stars of any city in the world.

Originally just a small fishing village named Edo, first fortified by the Edo clan in the late 12th century, today Tokyo is one of the top cities in the world. Rail is the primary mode of transportation and the city has the most extensive urban railway network on the planet. Architecture in Tokyo has largely been shaped by Tokyo’s history, with the city being left in ruins in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, then again following extensive firebombing in World War II. Because of this, Tokyo’s current urban landscape is one of modern and contemporary architecture, and older buildings are scarce. The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that devastated much of the northeastern coast of Honshu was felt in Tokyo, but due to Tokyo’s earthquake-proof infrastructure damage in the city was minor compared to areas directly hit by the tsunami.

Your Vista Point challenge in Tokyo is inspired by two matsuri, a Japanese word for a festival or a holiday, more specifically the Cherry Blossom Festival and Shichi-Go-San.

Japan celebrates the entire season of the cherry blossoms and festivals are held all over Japan, starting with the Yaedake Cherry Blossom Festival in Okinawa from late January until mid-February, with the season conclusing in late April / Early May. Every year the Japanese Meteorological Agency and the public track the sakura zensen (cherry-blossom front) as it moves northward up the archipelago with the approach of warmer weather via nightly forecasts following the weather segment of news programs. The blossoming begins in Okinawa in January and typically reaches Kyoto and Tokyo at the end of March or the beginning of April. It proceeds into areas at the higher altitudes and northward, arriving in Hokkaidō a few weeks later.

Japan pays close attention to these forecasts and turn out in large numbers at parks, shrines, and temples with family and friends to hold flower-viewing parties. Hanami festivals celebrate the beauty of the cherry blossom and for many are a chance to relax and enjoy the beautiful view. The custom of hanami dates back many centuries in Japan: the eighth-century chronicle Nihon Shoki records hanami festivals being held as early as the third century CE.

In Japan cherry blossoms symbolize clouds due to their nature of blooming en masse and are an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life, an aspect of Japanese cultural tradition that is often associated with Buddhistic influence, and which is embodied in the concept of “mono no aware” – which is translated as “the pathos of things”and as “an empathy toward things”, or “a sensitivity to ephemera”. Mono no aware is a Japanese term used to describe the awareness of impermanence or the transience of things, and a gentle sadness (or wistfulness) at their passing.

Shichi-Go-San is a timely matsuri and a traditional rite of passage for three- and seven-year-old girls and three- and five-year-old boys, held annually on November 15 and generally observed on the nearest weekend. Shichi-Go-San is said to have originated in the Heian Period amongst court nobles who would celebrate the passage of their children into middle childhood. The ages three, five and seven are consistent with Japanese numerology and over time this tradition passed to the samurai class who added a number of rituals.

By the Meiji Period, the practice was adopted amongst commoners as well, and included the modern ritual of visiting a shrine to drive out evil spirits and wish for a long healthy life. The tradition has changed little since the Meiji Period. It is believed that children of certain ages are especially prone to bad luck and hence are in need of divine protection. For Shichi-Go-San the children visit local shrines to pray. After visiting the shrine many enjoy chitose-ame or “thousand-year candy”. Chitose Ame is long, thin, red and white candy, which symbolizes healthy growth and longevity. It is given in a bag with a crane and a turtle on it, which represent long life in Japan.

Your Vista Point video challenge this week will embody the spirit of these matsuri. In your video you will dress in white and red symbolizing good luck and long life. You will pay a visit to a local shrine to ensure a safe and healthy future and to avoid any bad luck in these final stages of The Amazing Hoop Race. After your visit you will perform a hoop dance. The keywords to watch this week are beauty, grace and flow – elements so well symbolized by the cherry blossom itself. The other key word to remember is Japan. You are, after all, going to be in Tokyo.

Your hosts for this leg of the race and your judges are Ayumi Mitake of Hoop Tokyo and Tink of Spin Matsuri. Tink is busy preparing for World Hoop Day as the organizer of the World Hoop Day Dance project. As a reminder for our readers, now is a great time to learn the dance so you can participate on World Hoop Day and videotape yourselves to be included in this global celebration.

Our judges for your time in Japan will be scoring your video submissions on 1) Hooping and Partner Integration. 2) Beauty, Grace and Flow, 3) Japan Believability: Do we believe you are there and embodying the spiriti of the culture?, and 4) Overall Video Presentation. Our hosts in Tokyo will be supplying a “grab bag of Tokyo hoopers’ essentials” to the winner of this round.

There are no additional challenges this week allowing you to solely focus on your Vista Point challenge. Of the six remaining teams, only three will move into the final round and a chance to win The Amazing Hoop Race Grand Prize Package! In the event of a tie from here forward, the team that reaches the pit stop first will be the one that will move on. Your videos need to be posted no later than 9PM PST on Sunday, November 6th.

Related posts:

1. The Amazing Hoop Race Casting Begins
2. Amazing Hoop Race South Africa: Results and More
3. Cherry Blossoms
4. Hoop Tokyo Boot Camp
5. Amazing Hoop Race: Halloween in Paris