Tuesday 22 July 2014

The (very) local Wakoshi Chuo 2-9 summer festival





Yup. This is the street where I live. As every year, mid July brings its summer festival (matsuri). Matsuri are events related to the shinto tradition and every shrine in Japan holds at least one matsuri festival every year. Usually during summer / autumn. 
There is no shrine is this area of Wakoshi but the locals decided that this was no reason for not having a matsuri :-)) Of course this is as local as it gets, literally involving one single street. It is mostly organised for kids as this is the middle and the highlight of their summer vacation.

























This is the portable shrine (mikoshi) carried by the kids, ready for the parade. The mikoshi parade usually starts and ends at the main shrine, but in this case it just went from down-the-street to up-the-street, guarded by the firefighter squad of Wakoshi. Of our street. You get the picture :-))













So much for carrying the mikoshi, kids! Isn't that rather being pulled while standing on it? :-))






Yea OK, there's a little bit of work there. Good girls.






After this utterly exhausting 120m long parade, it's time for a well deserved chilled beer soda, all set up in somebody's garden.












And of course a beloved classic of the Japanese summer: watermelon. I was kindly offered a piece as well even though I was only paparazziying about. Thank you neighbours!







9 comments:

  1. Charming! great shots -- wish I could take a stroll on you street. has Vizma been to visit?

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  2. Thank you Pamela! I'm getting very addicted to those iPad snapshots, I sometimes feel sorry for my "real" camera left behind :-))
    Vizma hasn't visited yet but it's only a matter of when!

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  3. Cool street and matsuri, Marie.
    Carina

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  4. Looks very WILD - were u in any DANGER ?????

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  5. Thank you Carina!!
    Yes, this is the average level of wildness in the neighbourhood :-)) Thank goodness nobody's walking around with "those" kind of watermelons!! Goodness me!

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  6. Are there any dogs on your gairo? Where is doggie-san?

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  7. To be quite frank, Rufus san, I am rather scared of dogs. In fact even that drawing of a dog scared me. I'm a cat person.

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  8. How sweet!!! Had to laugh at the chilled beer/soda comment!

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  9. :-)) glad I made you laugh, Sweat

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