Toride Matsuri

On my way home on Wednesday I spotted a bunch of girls in yukatas getting off at my stop. I knew this meant that there was a festival going on in in Toride (how could I have not known about this!!). So I followed them and the building crowd, down one of the side streets, near the river and found the matsuri!!! Yippie! There where tons of stalls, selling toys and lots of games. One that seems very popular is catching goldfish or koi fish or small turtles. There where stalls selling masks, shaved ice, octopus on a stick, and okonimiyaki.

As I walked along the stalls I spotted a stage on which a group of masked performers where putting on a play, maybe it was Noh theater, I am not sure. They where accompanied by a small group of musicians and it was a wonderful performance. I continued to walk to the end of the block, and much to my delight, I saw a large group of men preparing for a ritual that is performed at many festivals year round. Its the carrying of a small wooden shrine. About a hundred young men (and some women) hoist a small, but obviously heavy shrine onto their shoulders and then into the air while chanting. I am sure you have seen video of this kind of thing on TV. I was so excited to get to see the real thing. It was pretty intense. The group of men slowly make there way down the street with the shrine. Accompanying them in the persuasion are, priests, lantern carriers, the man leading the chants, and a small band of drummers and flute players. The men carry the shrine on there shoulders chanting, and because its so heavy it sways and it is clear they have little control over it, so another group of men are in charge of pushing the shrine and directing the group in the right directing and keeping it from hurtling into the crowned, which is what it almost did a few times!! The men chant and then begin to bunch slightly while walking, then all of a sudden they hoist the shrine into the air, straitening their arms. It looks incredibly painful and difficult, but it was really thrilling and exciting to watch.

It was such a fun thing to stumble upon! I also got to see many of my students, as I work in this city, many of them where there with their families. It was nice to see them.
to veiw more pictures check out my Picsa gallary: http://picasaweb.google.com/Marjoriebyrd/TorideMasturi

Hanami in Asakusa

So its summer time here and that means matsuri (festivals) and hanami (fireworks). Last weekend I met some friends in Asakusa to watch the annual fireworks display over the river. I got to Asakusa earlier than everyone else and hung out in the festival and took pics. It seems to me that these festival are basically about food and dressing up, which are two very important things in my opinion. The women looked beautiful in there yukatas (summer kimono). I wanted to wear mine, but i still have not figured out how to put it on, it is confusing folks. I hung out in the shrine and ate and watched everyone getting settled to watch the fireworks while i waited for my friends. More and more people kept showing up until it was a virtual mob on the street and you could hardly walk down the side walk. My friends showed up and we started to make our way towards the bridge where some other friends had space for us to sit. Well there where so many people trying to make it across the bridge the police had to block it off and send us across in groups. This meant we were standing on the crowded street for ages slowly making our way up to the bridge. It was hot and we were all feeling claustrophobic, but still having a good time and then the fireworks began on both sides of the bridge and we ended up getting an OK view. Then we walked to a yakitori restaurant on the other side of Asaksa after the show was over. They had closed down the streets all around Asakusa and the shrine and people had set up picnics and where camping out in the middle on the street, it looked really fun and next year, thats what I am doing!!!! Anyway we had yakitori (grilled meats on skewers). I ate lots of strange chicken pats and liver (which i hate). Then we headed over to Shibuya on the last trains of the night for some karaoke. There where about 10 of us in the group. We booked the karaoke box for the rest of the night (12-5am) and sang our hearts out. Then at 5am we made our way with the rest of Shibuya to the trains station to all split off into our different directions of Tokyo. Was a good night and a fun festival.

My fellow adventurers!

Jimbocho

Im on summer vacation!!! Its so awesome to have summer vacation again!! So having August off has given me ime to continue my exploration of tokyo and the suronding areas.

Yesterdasy I went into the city to do some exploring which is something I truly love to do. I just love cities I guess. I used to do the same thing when i lived in London. I would go in on a Sunday and wonder around for hours and hours, never buying anything or doing anything in particular, not going anywhere, just seeking to discover secret places.
Tokyo is so vast and divers, I find I am constantly stumbling accidentally into these new and beautiful areas of the city. I keep having these amazing walks were I find a hidden shrine or a lantern lined night market. Today I explored Jimbocho, an area known for its abundance of used book shops. They have truly ancient books for sale here, costing hundreds of dollars. Aswell as newer used books and a strange number of highly specialized stores only selling things like, play books from musicals, or antique sheet music, or pornographic books from the 50s and 60s. I found one tiny store tucked down an ally, it was so full of old moldy books that the stacks where literally to the celling. I am certain that the shop keeper was actually a toad who had magically dissguised himself as an old grumpy man. This shop specialized in old and beautifully illustrated antique books. Most of the stories seemed to be Japanese folktales, many of the pages covered in ornately and likely hand painted, color illustrations. Some of the books were not books at all, but actual scrolls!!! The books impressed me so much that I have decided to treat myself and purchase one. I had my eye on a small one costing $50 or so. I will probably go back with my mom to pick one out. There where soooo many beautiful ones I could not decide just then. Anyway, the sun was shining and I spent my day leisurely walking down the crocked alleyways of Tokyo's book filled lanes. I sat for a while on a bench on the tree lined bank of a river corsing threw the city. I watched the people bussling past on their way to work on one side of me and one the other side, people in paddleing boats floated along. I have spent many, many days just like this one, and I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity to be here.