Sakaide Matsuri 2012

Sakaide Matsuri 2012.

The Sakaide Summer Festival is one of the amazing festivals during the Summer season in Kagawa. This unique festival - where elaborate taikodai shrines are lifted around by huge groups of people while men dance upon them - really is unlike any other festival in the Kagawa prefecture. That time, had been separated from the other JETs and had been unable to participate in the event, but rather ended up just watching it and taking photographs and video of it instead. This time, of course, I was determined to actually participate, and help lift the shrine.

This would also be an opportunity to meet some of the new JETs in Takamatsu, too. With many old faces now (sadly) departed, the first group of new Kagawa JETs had arrived and would be coming along to participate in this event (despite only having been in Japan for a days). All in all, it was sure to be a noteworthy event.

Dressed for the occasion.

We travelled to Sakaide on the JR line in the early evening, arriving before the festivities officially began though, once again, the train station area was already overflowing with visitors. Having gotten myself lost from the event in the previous year by wandering off to take photographs and videos, I made a conscious effort to stay with the group and had even decided to leave my Canon 60D at home to avoid any distractions (it wouldn't stop me still taking plenty of pictures with my iPhone, mind you).

One of the Sakaide Matsuri shrines gets ready to march.

We were very quickly grouped together and assigned our various clothes for the event, which appeared to be a happi - a very loose fitting style of Japanese clothing used during the summer months. We wear also given headbands to wear, with the primary purpose of apparently stopping us from sweating too much. As always with the summer here, it was incredibly hot before we'd even started the event, and I have to admit I was slightly concerned about having to lift a huge shrine in this heat.

There was barely any time to make introductions to the new JETs, as I only saw them briefly before we were swept away to get dressed and ready for the event. I quickly made an effort of saying hello to whoever I could, though time was short and a lot of people were trying to do the same thing. Still, I managed to make a few introductions.

New JET Yaseen Akhtar: a bagpiper!

Arran with his sweat towel.

Before I knew it, we were parading the shrine around the square of the JR train station towards its final position for the evening. And then, almost suddenly, we were hoisting it above our heads as men with whistles danced upon it.

It was bloody heavy. And I was constantly dodging to make sure the huge wooden poles didn't whack me on the head on their way back down.

Heavy.

Inbetween rounds of hoisting this shrine (which was as physically strenuous as you may imagine), we were given breaks to go and refresh ourselves with cups of ocha. The ocha was served in huge buckets by the ladelful, with hundreds of hands reaching in to refresh themselves. The heat was intense enough as to be almost unbearable, but we endured quite contentedly with smiles on our faces.

The event carried on as the sun went down. It must be said that even though I'd seen this event from afar the previous year, it was an incredible spectacle to be up close and participating in this event.

Left to right: New JETs Yaseen Akhtar and John Bishop with senior JET Iain McFarland.

A wee rest.

The festival is "won" by the team which manages to do the most elaborate display with their shrine, hoisting it repeatedly up and down while hundreds of spectators watch. Our team wasn't to be the winner this year, but we still had an amazing time doing it. For many of the JETs who came to Japan with me the previous year, this experience was their second time hoisting the shrine. It says a lot that, as physically strenuous as this event was, they were still willing to come back for a second round the following year.

When the festival was finally over, it became our task to march the shrine back to its storage place: about a twenty minute walk away. As you can imagine, there were far less people carrying back the shrine to its point of origin, and we navigated our way down very narrow streets with the assistance of some rather drunk helpers. A few guys remained on top of the shrine to direct it, and in the case of those at the very top, to help avoid hitting any electrical wires (which are abundant everywhere in Japan). It was quite terrifying to look up and see these guys reach out with sticks and pull electrical lines away from their faces that were often only a few inches away.

It was very gratifying to see so many men, women and children open the doors of their houses to watch in wonderment at the shrine going by. It was even more dramatic to think that all of the shrines that had been at the festival that night would each be doing their own journeys, too.

Carrying the shrine back to its home.

We arrived at the designated spot and placed the shrine down in a sort of courtyard, next to a large building where presumably it would be placed the following day. From what I've heard, its kept there all year long until its needed the following summer. Quite something.

A well-earned rest.

After putting down our shrine for the night and leaving our happi behind, we indulged in a huge feast of Japanese food (including cold udon) and beer. This was a much better chance to speak to some more of the new JETs, though again, everyone was so tired and busy eating that priorities had to be accounted for. Finally, with aching shoulders, we walked our way back to Sakaide station in order to make our way back home to Takamatsu.

Sakaide Matsuri was an amazing evening one year before. Being able to take part in it up close was even better. An incredible experience.

Summer Fireworks and a Barbecue

First published: 14 Jun 2013

Local friends in Takamatsu.

One of the most rewarding things about living in Takamatsu has been getting to know some of the local families that live in the area. I've made a lot of great new friends this way, who have all made me feel very welcome and part of the community. In part I have gotten to know people through my English club, but there  are many people whose English is not so good yet have still gone out of their way to befriend and spend time with me.

Ka-boom!

Last Summer, I had a couple of great opportunities to spend time with some of the families I know. My good friend Hiroko Tomozawa invited me along with some of her friends to the fireworks display that was being held by her husband's water company. A curious little difference in Japan is that fireworks are traditionally thought of as a summer activity, with displays most frequently held in the Summer months from June onwards. This is a direct contrast to those of us in Britain who enjoy our fireworks mostly in the Winter months and particularly at New Year's.

Locals gather for the fireworks display.

A little bit of live music to kick things off.

Always keen for a festival, I popped along. Not too far from my house, the site was full of students from nearby schools who all recognised me and fancied a chat. Live music was played on stage and we enjoyed a little picnic while we waited for the event to start. Candy-floss was also in abundant supply.

 Some of the local kids pop along to say hello.

Onigiri picnic!

The fireworks themselves were quite something. Lasting for a good thirty minutes or so, these fireworks were shot mostly one after another, akin to a Guy Fawkes evening rather than an overwhelming of the senses a la Hogmanay in Edinburgh. The fireworks often created quirky images (such as a smiling face). It was a very peculiar experience to be enjoying fireworks so early into the year, and yet here we were.

I'd post a few more pictures but they're mostly blurry.

I'm sure you know what fireworks look like!

The festivities were followed up the following day with a trip to my friend Junko Sato Miya to her in-law's house for a barbecue.

A gathering of family and friends.

Junko's father-in-law, Miya-san.

More than generous with his home.

Driving along with Hiroko and her family again, we made our way to Sakaide where the relatives lived for a small tour of the house and a barbecue in the early evening. Luckily, I hadn't had too much to drink on the previous evening, so I was in fine condition for a few more drinks on this day!

Epic meal time.

The home itself was particularly interesting, and I was surprised with the degree to which I was allowed to freely explore this traditional Japanese house. Tatami floors and sliding doors were abundant, all of which allowed me to take an intimate look at the iconic Japanese interior aesthetic. The house also be happened to situated to some traditional Japanese toori gates, and had plenty of room outside for the kids to run around and play (which they did so quite merrily!).

The kids enjoy some pre-barbecue games. 

Junko and the kids enjoy stretching across the gap.

Most interesting of all was the rear of the house and the upstairs area. Junko's father-in-law was actually quite the craftsman, with his own workshop in the rear of the house. The upstairs had been turned into something of a ceramic showroom, where much of the sculptures and ceramics that he'd personally made were on display. It was quite an unexpected feature!

Junko's talented father-in-law in his workshop. 

Intricate detail on impressive, small sculptures.

There were hundreds of these around, some made by Miya-san's students.

The barbecue itself was quite the feast! With the whole family chipping in to cooking the meal, a spread of strawberries, sausages, rice balls and veg was on offer, with a healthy supply of beer to boot. The dishes were served with a beautiful dipping sauce that I wish I knew the name of. We all received highly distinctive ceramic individual plates, mine featuring a cute little illustration of a rabbit!

Customised plates for dipping in sauce.

Ridiculously cute.

Junko's husband and mother-in-law get in on the cooking. 

It's great to know the concept of barbecue is just as popular

in Japan as it is back home...

After dinner, we all relaxed in the workshop while and took it in turn to try our hand at kendama, a traditional Japanese game. Some of you may be familiar with the common ball-and-cup game, where a ball on a string is attached to a cup and the player must swing their arm in a motion to land the ball inside it. Kendama is a bit like a harder version of that, as there are two curved surfaces for the ball to land on along with a spike which the player has to try and hook the ball onto. It's incredibly difficult for first timers and takes quite a lot of perseverance to get good at. Needless to say, I was a tad useless! I got one of my own as a birthday present from a class at Tsuru-Uchi Elementary, mind you, so I've been practising.

 Ao (left) and her mother Hiroko (right) proved to be significantly better than myself!

I was quite content to spend my time taking pictures, mind you!

One of the really nice things about this trip was that I was given a late birthday present from Junko's father in-law; an old wooden kendo practice sword he had used in his training! For those of you who don't know, kendo is a Japanese sword-fighting sport that is wildly popular in the high-schools around Japan. It bears a little bit of a resemblance to fencing, which I did for a brief time in my youth, though I've never attempted kendo. It makes a wonderful decoration and conversation piece in my house, though, and I intend to keep it when I return to Scotland!

Attempting to look bad-ass.

Probably shouldn't have my shirt tucked in for this.

The kids practice their kendo skills into the early evening.

Overall, a pretty nice start to June! Perhaps most notable of all, I was also gifted with a traditional Japanese fan - an uchiwa - which Hiroko's daughter, Ao, had customised herself - most notably by having written "Friend".

Some things really do tug at the heart-strings.

Sakaide Matsuri 2011

Sakaide Matsuri.

Sakaide Matsuri is a pretty unique event, and it was a great way to kick-start the festivities in the Summer of my arrival.

During this festival, teams of men and women carry huge portable shrines named taikodai around the station area while dancers and team cheerleaders stand on top and shout encouragement. The teams hoist their shrines into the air to create an amazing spectacle, and compete with the other teams to create the most impressive visual display. The event starts in the late afternoon and carries on into the night time, before the shrines are paraded back home through the town to their resting space.

The city of Sakaide is only a few stops down the line from Takamatsu train station, and you can get there within about 20 minutes. As one of Takamatsu's closest neighboring cities, the Takamatsu ALTs had been attending en masse for several years by the time I arrived, with the ALTs themselves even helping to carry and hoist one of the shrines every year. As one of the new 2011 JETs, I decided I'd head along with this year's group, and do some hoisting myself.

Upon arrival in Sakaide, I was pretty excited as there was already a noticeable buzz in the air. As soon as I stepped off the platform at the train station, I was surrounded by hundreds of spectators waiting with great anticipation for the festival. Despite arriving with a group, I very quickly broke away briefly to start photographing the environment. Before I knew it, however, the festival was starting. I tried desperately to find the ALTs I had arrived with, but they were nowhere to be seen. As we were meant to be participating, they had already been lead away to meet the other JETs and prepare. I was flying solo, and this meant I would have to just be a spectator for an evening.

Cheerleaders chant encouragement and blow whistles on the shrine.

Men on the very topof the shrine let loose streamers.

It was actually no bad thing at all. It was one hell of a spectacle.

The "white team" in action.

By being a spectator, I was able to observe the event as a whole. I walked around and found plenty of other ALTs to mingle with, so I wasn't lonely. I spent the evening transfixed by the display, and was more than happy just to watch.

The teams hoist their shrines into the air.

I haven't seen any other festival of this type around Kagawa prefecture or Shikoku. As my first experience of a Japanese festival, it really made an incredible impression. The colours, the chanting and the sheer enthusiasm on display... it all added up to make a very satisfying evening.

I have to say, though, I was still fairly embarrassed when reunited with the other JETs at the end of the evening. They all wondered where the hell I'd gone.

The shrines light up brilliantly in the dark.

(For anyone wondering, I did finally manage to participate in the event the following year. Take a look at this blog post here for my time hoisting a shrine at Sakaide Matsuri 2012.)