My last Sapporo Festival

My last festival in Sapporo was the Hokkaido Jingu matsuri, which runs for about 3 or 4 days at the beginning of June (please pay no attention to the fact that I am writing about this at the end of July). Like many of the shrine festivals throughout Japan, there are mikoshi that get carried around the streets of Sapporo in a big procession before returning to the shrine later in the day. Like many of the shrine festivals throughout Japan, no one pays any attention to this. Instead, everyone dons thier faviourite yukata (a light and casual kimono.. just click the link), and heads out to the food stalls to buy cotton candy, chocolate dipped bananas, "American" hot dogs (sans bun), and various other fresh and tasty foodstuffs.

Once the sun went down there was a show held in the shrine, featuring some singers, dancers, and taiko drummers. Now some of you may or may not know that I once took a taiko workshop back in the old T-dot. (thanks again to Gina for organizing that). Anyways, at that workshop we were all introduced to the rather painstaing and unconfortable postures and positions required to taiko drumming. The dudes in Sapporo did none of that. They did however wail on those bad boy drums like nobody's business. One guy had about 5 drums going at one time. Two encores later the crowds dispersed with the satisfaction of a show... well... watched.... whatever.

Long and the short; it was a damn fine festival.


　One of the Hokkaido Jingu Mikoshi

Some of my yukata wearing classmates and myself

Hokuei Taiko troupe

Mr. Tambourine Man and Friends