Okie JET

Tadotsu-matsuri

The first weekend I was here (8/5), my city, Tadotsu, had their big summer festival. It is called matsuri. Many people dress up in traditional summer clothing, called a yukata. They are similar to kimonos, but they are lighter and cooler. I didn't have one, but they found me one. It is the largest size that they make, and it was still a little bit small on me. They walked me into this office where many people had already dressed up, and they told me to strip down to my boxer briefs. A little bit of a weird thing to hear as soon as you show up. Plus there were many people around, not that I'm not normally shy...but in this case, everyone, literally, had their eyes on the tall gaijin (foreigner). After sort of putting it on, they led me to two old ladies, who were helping fit the yukatas and the belts. Without any warning, hands like lightning were flying and senching with amazing skill. However, the experience left me feeling like I'd just been put in a corsette.

I was then hurried out into the streets where I had some traditional udon noodles, a specialty of the region. I was seating with the honored guests. I felt a bit out of place. But I did get the best seat in the house. We saw some performances from the local schools. These little kids played the most amazing songs. I know I would have never gotten anywhere close at that age. Everyone seemed to have gotten dressed up. After the performances, we started the city's traditional dance. It was something quite interesting. They didn't prepare me at all. But I picked up pretty quick. They dressed me and placed me with the highest and most powerful people in the city. But then again I was told that I would be pretty much the biggest celebrity of the city. The dance lasted for about 2 hours. I was about dead after that. They did take a break half way through to rehydrate...on free beers for the dancers. Of the city's 23,000 people, probably about 500 or 600 were completely decked out and dancing. They also had a Ms. Tadotsu contest. They crowned the winner at the festival. The outgoing one is on the right and the incoming one is on the left. The whole night was awesome. The only problem that I had was worrying about my yukata flying open. This was especially hard during the first dance because we had a move where we picked up our leg to the right. I just wasn't small enough not to worry. I think next year I'll just get one custom ordered.

The next night, Sunday night, we had the big fireworks. They were nothing short of amazing. But I ran around a bit with my camera first because there were so many booths. It kind of felt like a carnival. There were tons of foods: fried squid on a stick, fish biscuits, yakitori, octopus pancakes. They sold water yo-yo's, beetles, and masks. I thought it was amazing the number of people dressed up for the event. I luckily got a reserved seating with the mayor and some other dignitaries. It was nice. The event
only lasted about an hour, but they shot off 4000 fireworks. It is the one of the most distinctive displays in the region. People ome from miles around to see my city's festival. Now if anyone doesn't feel like the quick math, here's some perspective on the magnitude. In one hour there are 60 minutes. Every minute there are 60 seconds. In one hour, there are 3600 seconds. The event lasted only one hour. Needless to say, I was impressed. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture in time of my favorite firework. They had smiley face ones. They were perfect. They also had a palm tree set. If you want to be included on my full picture list, just email me.

posted by Christopher Brashears at 8/26/2006 05:16:00 PM