Festival Weekend

This past weekend was a whirl wind of activity.

On Saturday my friends and I went to the Atsuta festival. It was pretty awesome (like all Japanese festivals are). I wore a jinbei, a traditional male summer outfit, and bought a bottle of sake to keep costs down. We wandered around best we could in the huge crowds. We did the obligatory shrine visit and bought some food from one of the many many vendors. My group then retreated to the nearby park in order to watch the fireworks and drink our booze. It turned out to be a very nice fireworks display. It wasn't as awesome as some Fourth of July demonstrations, but it was nice.

This wasn't a crazy festival like the Penis Festival up in Komaki. It wasn't one filled with dancing or karaoke like previous festivals I've been to. There were no effigies aflame. However, for some reason this festival felt more festive than others. People were enjoying their time and practicing ancient rites. It was a very inspiring time. I enjoyed it and I am glad that I got the experience.

Sunday was another festival. This one varied from Atusta in that it was much smaller and felt more homelike. There were more kids running around and people meandering around. I enjoyed it a little more than Atsuta. I guess it was the smaller crowds or the neighborhood feel or the place, but I just liked it.

One interesting thing was a display talking about old Nagoya and how it was in the past. It's amazing what 100 years will do to a place.

After these festivals I began to feel as if I wanted to stay in Japan longer. I know it's hard to stay here and not teach English, but it's starting to feel more appealing.

If any of you are in Japan don't miss out on these festivals and always check out the local ones. They are usually diamonds in the rough.