Last Week in Japan 2: Kashiwa Matsuri

Went with Aiya to a matsuri in Kashiwa, Chiba prefecture.

This little boy was twirling a pole that had ribbons on it.

Mikoshi Parade

NAGASHI SOMEN!! all you can eat somen that comes ice cold down a bamboo river. it was only 200 yen!!


Kashiwa was packed!


At dusk, they had a Nebuta Parade, where huge paper lantern floats where pulled around the town to the beat of the festival music.

Last Week in Japan: Sumida Fireworks

We arrived at Asakusa in jinbei and yukatas at 6AM the morning of Sumida Fireworks to steak out an area to lay down our tarp.

900,000 ppl came to the Sumida River to watch the hour and a half fireworks show.






BEST MELON PAN EVER! from asakusa.

Nakamise Dori was packed.

More Nagano and Awa Odori Parade

Matsumoto Castle

Hotaka Wasabi Farm. The water was so clear. The rivers are all gravel, so the wasabi can be easily pulled out.

Wasabi Ice Cream


totoro-looking staircase.


Awa-Odori in Kagurazaka/shinjuku

They have to stand on the front toe of the geta on a slant.




Now, I'm here. hehe.

Hotaka, Nagano.

Earlier this week, I went to visit relatives in Nagano-ken for the first time.

When you're in Nagano, you must eat soba!


My grandpa's sister-in-law and her two daughters made a feast for us the first night.

Suzaka House

Obaachan's flowers.

More family.


I'll post more pics tomorrow.

Okayam Hakuto White Peaches

My auntie sent me a box of Okayama White peaches.. they were SO GOOD.

Each one was individually wrapped and they smelled amazing.

I tried cutting the first one, but it was so juicy and soft that it wasn't possible.....so I had to just bite into it. I've never had any fruit that sweet before.

Ueno's annual summer festival.
Here's a video I took of the parade




Flea market

flea market stands going around Ueno pond

blooming lotus flowers

Roasted corn

yum.

Odori parade. look, there's old obaachans too!

hundreds of dancers.

little kid watchin the parade.

Edo kappore odori

Harajuku yosakoi

Morioka sansa odori.

more sansa.

Sansa comes from Iwate Ken. they had the little kids in back holding baby drums.

The dance looked really tiring.

Yamagata hanagasa ondo.

Okinawa eisa taiko!

Kiriko matsuri floats

Yasukuni Shrine: Mikoshi, Bon Odori, good food.

A couple friends and I went to Yasukuni Shrine after school to their summer festival. We had a great time.



There was a haunted house!

Kakikori for 200 yen!

Bucchan Osaka yaki

Odori performance.

The night before, they had a Nebuta parade with these handmade paper floats.

Bon Odori dance around the big statue.

The mikoshi procession.

Kid's mikoshi.

More dancing!

HS girl's mikoshi.

The big boy.

Yasukuni Jinja at night.



Lanterns with names of the diseased.

The Mikoshi proceeding into the shrine.

The walk out.

Matsuzaka Beef! It's suppose to be better than Kobe beef....it was!