Onna no matsuri!

Today, after a session at the kindergarten, I headed over to Futsukaichi to take part in a festival with two of my fellow gaijin (foreign) friends. I didn't really have any idea what this what about, and after attempting to research it this evening, I am still not much wiser. My (male) tutor, who recruited us from university, apparently thought it might be something "vaguely fertility-related", as it was only women who were allowed to participate. Hmmm...

Well, whatever we were celebrating, it was a lot of fun! We got to dress in red 'happi' coats, with a matching obi (sash), black leggings and two-toed shoes, and a red and black headdress. After a rousing speech from the woman in charge, we picked up our mikoshi (portable Shinto shrine), and set off on a parade. It was quite heavy, and everyone bounced it up and down as they chanted "Souya, souya!", making manoeuvring a little difficult. On top of that, we had to rotate in a circle several times on the trip, adding to the confusion (we are turning in the photo above). But it was so fun to be a part of everything, and really exciting!

It was really tricky to take pictures and be part of it all, so I did something that I wouldn't do in any country save Japan - I gave my camera away to a teenage girl and let her take some pictures herself. Nowhere else would I let that girl out of my sight, and know that everything would be okay, save in this sort of Japanese community. It really is so lovely; not to have to worry, but I do think I'll get a shock when I come back to the UK...

This picture was taken by that girl; there were many others (some not so blurred), but I loved the sense of movement and excitement that this one conveyed. You can see me and my friend Sarah behind me, both having a fantastic time.

What a great day!