On Saturday, I went to the Koganei (the city I live in) Matsuri (festival). The Japanese festivals are amazing! There atmosphere was beyond what I can describe in words or even pictures. The sound of the drums and the chanting of the dancers mesmerized my ears as the sights of many men, women, and even children danced around in perfect rhythm. Half of the people watching and enjoying the matsuri also wore traditional yukata’s. There were all sorts of traditional Japanese food everywhere with my favorite being the freshly made ‘mochi’ and famous ‘takoyaki’. There were also all the amusing games for the kids with one of the more popular ones being ‘catch the goldfish’. The matsuri is yet another reason why I love it in Japan.

The begining of the parade.

Here is a 1 minute video of some of the dancers in the parade… download (6.5MB)

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