Matsuri: The Japanese Festival
If a person spends a few months in Japan one is bound to observe a few Japanese matsuri or festivals. These are usually held on the grounds of local Shinto shrines known as jinja. They are, for the most part, held to celebrate the changes of the seasons. A visitor to a local matsuri will find numerous food-stalls selling favorite foods such as takoyaki (friend octopus balls), yakisoba (friend noodles) and oddly enough bananas dipped in chocolate on a stick (somehow I think this is a more recent addition to the menu!). There are also many game stalls where people try to win prizes, much like the traditional carnival or state fair. Some uniquely Japanese games are trying to catch goldfish or baby turtles with a paper net before it dissolves in the water, and shooting cork guns at playstation boxes in attempts to knock them over.
The highlight of most festivals is the parade of the mikoshi, or portable shrine as it has often been translated. This is a spectacle not to be missed. Groups of people dress in traditional shirts and sumo style pants carry the mikoshi or rather pump it up and down while marching up the street chanting yoi sah yoi sah! Which was translated to me as “Come on, come on!” The shrine is then carried throughout the neighborhoods surrounding the shrine, sometimes for hours. There are many variations on this. The craziest one I have heard of is in Osaka, where a huge mikoshi, literally the size of a small house, is pulled at full speed on wheels throughout the city. During the process the pullers are thrown into houses, crowds and anything else that happens to be in the way. After this event the local hospitals are filled with people who’ve sustained minor injuries. Most festivals however are less life-threatening so don’t be afraid to observe, or even take part as carrying of the mikoshi is open to anyone strong enough to endure it.
Some of the more unique festivals held throughout Japan are the aforementioned crazy house-sized smashing up Osaka festival, the purpose of which I have no idea. The penis festival, held to promote fertility, at which penis and vagina shaped candies are given out to adults and children alike. The fire festivals in which huge bonfires are created in the streets of Kyoto, and there is even apparently a naked festival. I have yet to see this one but will make an effort to do so!
Anyway, no matter what kind of festival it is, matsuri are great places to experience a taste of the old Japan, eat some great food, and see normally reserved Japanese men and women let loose and have some crazy fun.