Omikoshi

 The Omikoshi from a local festival was on display at Mirikaroden. This is a large box resting on six logs. During the festival the logs are used to carry the Omikoshi around the area. The traditional idea was that the festival was a time to carry the god around the neighborhood so he or she could see what it was currently like and to also show him or her a good time. There is lots of music, chanting, dancing, and especially a lot of drinking. When I lived in Shizuoka Prefecture, I was on the organizing committee for our neighborhood festival, but after moving to Sendai, I did not participate because they were bigger, covering many neighborhoods so I did not know the people involved.