This weekend, Tokyo gave me the best surprise: a matsuri (Shinto festival; 祭り) right outside my doorstep. Quite literally. As in I didn’t even know it was going on until I started heard flutes and drums coming from downstairs. As in when I got there and realized I’d forgotten my SD card, it took about 5 minutes to walk back. Pretty much any Japan-traveler/photography enthusiast’s wet* dream.
*Accidental pun: to cope with the heat, the tradition for this event is to throw water on all the participants.
The festival was hosted by Sumiyoshi Shrine (住吉神社), the biggest shrine on Tsukishima that was actually featured in my last post. This happened to be their hon-matsuri (本祭り), a once-every-three-years celebration that lasts four days, though I only got to see one day of it. The main event of the day was the parade of the gods, symbolized by the omikoshi (お神輿, vehicles for Shinto deities), around the neighborhood.
Yakitori (焼き鳥; lit. “grilled chicken,” kind of funny because if read in Mandarin it would be “burnt bird”) featuring a very willing hand model.
This post may also be known as The Great Comeback of Photos of Cute Children (hi Shawn).
^A man hosing down the worshippers from afar.
パシャンパシャン
Please note that there are larger versions of the omikoshi for adults and miniatures for the kids.
Inklings 