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)

I love the sound of the drums.

The Japanese drums and flute. ..download (1.8MB)

My friend posing in front of some dancers.

A video of dancers in the street. It is slightly cut off at the end becuase a student of mine from ECC recognized me. She had her little son that I taught English to all dressed up and told me that her daughter was also in the parade. My student’s son seemed really happy to see me, and it made me feel really good about my job as an English teacher… download (6.3MB)