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!