The things I love best about Japan coelesce at festival time. The Japanese are relaxed and seem, suddenly, to have oodles of time. Yukatas vie with denim. Traditional dances and music juxtapose J-pop and ballet. People eat and drink in the open. They say hello to us and want to try out their English. Such a difference!
Saturday we walked the river to watch the annual festival fish catching event. Goldfish are placed in the shallows and people wade in with nets. What they catch they take home. Later we strolled the lantern and streamer festooned laneways, past lively stalls, and on to the main arena, the city office car park. It was terribly hot so we hung about backstage in the shade, sipping kirin, chatting and, well, just watching the Japanese enjoy themselves.
I include a photo taken of said site, this being our friend and housemate Miwa, eating the popular sausage on a stick. She won't thank me for publishing this shot! But what the heck, its festival time!
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