Kathleen and Brad: Summer Break = Festivals!

Last Tuesday the 20th was the last full day of work for Brad and I until September 1st. So with the weather being excruciatingly hot (in the 90s and really humid), we've been staying indoors and studying some but also enjoying what our little city has to offer. This last weekend our city had a little block party/festival. I'm not sure what the purpose of the festivals are but almost every city has one at some point throughout July or August. This was a shinto festival that started at the shrine right by our house.

I apologize ahead of time since I'm not a very good videographer.

This is where all the floats were stored and where the processional began.

Pictures of the Shrine:

There are foxes on either side of the shrine and in front of it. They watch over the shrine. You're supposed to throw change into the box in the middle.

These gates are at the entrance of every shrine. I don't have a picture of it but there is a gigantic one that goes over the road at the entrance to this shrine by our apartment.

This is the main street where the festival was happening and also the street that I take to get to school every day. And by the way--the octopus is good!

This is one of the floats (it started near our house) that goes around the city. Again I'm not sure what it symbolizes but it's cool all the same. Although that was a kind of a creepy dance by the guy... Anyway, the cart is made out of wood and pulled by people holding onto 2 gigantic ropes. There were about 2 or 3 of these carts going around.

These were portable shrines that different groups were carrying around the town. I'm not sure what they're chanting but there is a bell at the top of the shrine and apparently the more times that it is rung, the more good luck you have. It was fun to see but by the looks of the people carrying it also very hot, heavy and difficult! By the way, it is customary for the women to wear yukatas (these are the summer versions of kimonos) and the men wear happis. Not everyone follows this tradition but there were still a fair amount of people dressed up. The students that I ran into at the festival said they hated wearing their yukatas!

Brad was at an enkai (drinking party with his elementary school teachers) so I went to the festival by myself, but our city has another Brazilian festival coming up in another week and a half. On Brad's way home and at the end of the festival, it decided to start pouring down rain. Brad got stuck at the train station for an hour in the downpour, and even felt the heat of a lightening strike nearby! The power went out all over the city and subsequently the rest of the festival was canceled. Luckily I was able to get a plastic bag to cover the camera with and then I ran home sopping wet. This is a video of a similar rainstorm that we had a few weeks ago--when it rains, it pours!