Everyone was dressed in traditional garb. Mrs. Yamamoto even gave us coats called Happi to wear! Each Happi was decorated with the community's emblem and colors. Here is Kieko and the back of her community's happi, mixing technology with tradition.
Festival-goers would pull an ornately decorated cart called a Yatai through the neighborhood. There were people on the Yatai playing traditional music called Tokeigaku and still others chanting "EE-SHO-NEE!" (Something similar to our 'heave, ho!') Each community had one and we would occasionally run into another while we were parading through the streets. We would then stop for a while and then continue on. (Where's Waldo?)
It was a very lively time with lots of eating, drinking, song and dance. It was a festival steeped in Japanese traditions. If you would like to experience a festival like this one, there are a list of dates here. (Page down to October 15th).
1 comment:
I like that you are focusing on one event this week. Fall festivals are certainly a good example of traditional Japanese culture. So is the festival you are describing the Nada no Kenka Matsuri? Your photos are illustrative of your text but a little hard to see. I'd like a little more detail about how the festival is steeped in Japanese tradition. It looks like you had a great time in your fieldwork.
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