There are literally hundreds (if not, thousands) of festivals native to Japan. In my previous few trips, I had the opportunities to participate in a few of them, admittedly mostly by accident. They are usually highly festive, noisy, busy, colourful, fun and enjoyable. The Japanese people know how to have a jolly good (and profitable) time, of course, in their own unique ways.
School Festival
I've always wanted to participate in a Japanese school festival, and one just happened to find me. This one took place at a local university:
Music please (the band was actually pretty good).
Soft drinks tent.
Some yakitori and yakisoba on sale in the far tent, and some games in the tent on the right.
Kakigori ("shaved ice"), here I come.
Just in case you're wondering, it's LEMON-flavoured. Lol.
Fishing for water-filled balloons in a water tub.
An oldie and goodie: Hoop-a-loop.
Random local festival
This was a random local festival that I ran into near a beach one visit - no idea what it was though:
Nom nom nom.
Kingyo-sukui ("goldfish scooping").
Taiko drums performance.
Some flour thingy wrapped in seaweed and dipped in sauce - an acquired taste.
Two cute kids in kimono - just had to take a photo of them.
Setsubun (Bean-Throwing Festival)
This festival celebrates the last day of winter in Japan (3rd Feb). The special mamemaki ("bean-throwing") ceremony is meant to drive away evil spirits ("oni") and bad luck so the new year can start with good luck. I, however, had another target in mind: the eho-maki ("good fortune roll"), and wasted no time dragging my mates around town to hunt for one, which wasn't hard to find cos they're literally sold everywhere.
Two bags of roasted beans on the left, and the gigantic eho-maki on the right.
Comparing the eho-maki to my arm just so you get an idea of its size.
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