Tonight I watched fireworks in the rain for the first time. Actually the fireworks were in the rain; I was in my bedroom looking out the window. The local Shinto shrine had a festival tonight but it is raining. They held the festival anyway and had the fireworks display as well.
The little shrine is only about 300 meters from our apartment and it is for the river god. I did not go to the festival itself (because it is raining) but most years there is a ceremony where you walk out over the river of a little dock-like structure and drop an offering (which you buy from the shrine for a few hundred yen) into the river. They have a flattened area along the river with a platform for musicians (which reminds me I have not heard any music, so they probably canceled everything but the fireworks) and around 10 or so stands selling food and beer. No festival is compete with out beer and Japanese sake. There is music and dancing for entertainment.
About Me
- Charles
- Nakagawa-machi, Chikush-gun, Fukuoka-ken, Japan
- I have lived in Japan since 1976 and now consider it to be my permanent home. I have a very varied background having studied engineering, Japanese and East Asian studies, and education at the university level. I spent ten years in the Army where my job involved Area Studies, mostly in East Asia. When I started to teach in Japan, it was at a post high school level and, after I completed a PhD in education, I moved to a university where I become a full professor. After retiring, I taught part-time but am now completely retired and spend my enjoying myself. I am reasonably fluent in Japanese and at present all of my friends are elderly Japanese.
No comments:
Post a Comment