Jottings of Japan

Never really thought of myself as a blogger before... but it seems to be the trend of late, so I thought I'd give it a go. Apologies in advance for the boring content you will endure as I capture my life in size 10 Arial font (for the most part, anyway). So without further ado, Let's blogging!

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Location: Sydney, Australia

Sunday, July 18, 2004

Mikoshi in Tutty-B

Since coming to Japan, I have tried to engulf myself in all things Japanese – the food, the culture, the lifestyle. Oh, and of course the work. So whenever an opportunity arises that allows me to get involved, I always try to say yes. That is how I ended up in the Tatebayashi Matsuri on 17th July.

Fellow Canberran, Nicky Willcox, is the CIR in Tatebayashi – one of the 11 cities in Gunma, and fondly known to us as Tutty-B. Being the bubbly character she is, Nicky has managed to make many local friends, and has been kind enough to introduce me to some of them. So, when asked by her friends if I wanted to help carry a portable Shrine through the streets of Tutty-B, I said “Of course!” Not really knowing what I was getting myself into, I drove the 2 hours from my little mountain village down to Tutty-B, anticipation making me smile the entire way.

I made it to our favourite hang – a small restaurant that the local JETs have adopted called “Grow Up” – in the mid-afternoon and was greeted by men wearing very little, who were filled with energy and a drop or two of beer. After a bit of preparation, and a few more drops of the good stuff, we headed off to the Matsuri.

Dressed in a happi and with a bandana wrapped around my head, I mixed and sweated with the barely-dressed locals and a few other ALTs, as we danced and stumbled our way down the street carrying the Mikoshi. Despite the fact it already weighed something resembling the weight of four cars, some members of our group – called Sakura-kai – decided it would only be advantageous to our dancing rhythm if they stood on the Shrine and yelled “Saa! Saa! Saa! Saa!”

In all, we and the Mikoshi bumped, danced and side-stepped our way down the street and back for about 2 hours, but I think I managed to carry it for no longer than 20 minutes. For the remainder of the time, my shoulders already sore and bruised, I assumed position behind the group and clapped in rhythm and encouragement. Nicky was kind enough to follow us most of the way carrying bottles of water for us.

It was an awesome night; one I will remember for a long time. After we finished, a few of us indulged ourselves in a cup full of crushed ice covered with our selected flavour – a welcome treat that would hydrate us as well as cool us down.

So now, the Tutty-B Matsuri is over for another year, which raises the question - Will I carry Mikoshi again next year?

Of course!

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