Last Sunday (the 19th of September) some friends and I attended the Danjiri festival in Kishiwada. The festival is held in September and October to pray for a good harvest usually before the ‘respect for the age’ public holiday. http://www.osaka-info.jp/en/search/detail/event_5334.html The Danjiri (wooden carts) are believed to hold spirits inside. They are brought to kishiwada for the festival and are representative of the town they belong to. These Danjiri are expensive and are usually kept in storage until a week before the festival begins. It is then they are decorated with flowers, cards and well wishes from members of the community. Here is a movie I made to give you a better understanding of how it works!
I have never seen anything like it! I felt so bad for all the people carrying the Danjiri. Many were young boys who looked so hot and tired. Although the man on the top is supposed to have the worst job, I think he’s pretty lucky. I loved his dance moves, they were all so enthusiastic!
These poor boys, I just wanted to run over and give them water!
We heard that the most dangerous place to stand is the corners as sometimes they so fast the whole cart topples over. So of course that’s where we based ourselves hoping to catch a bit of drama! Luckily for them everyone made it through! I have read that it is not uncommon for a few men to die each festival, with the cart landing on and then crushing spectators and the men pulling the Danjiri! I found this clip on youtube the night before we went! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5szCdCWM74 .
Another amazing thing was all the delicious market food! We ate okonomiyaki, tacoyaki, soba and all kinds of fruits covered in toffee! It was a really great atmosphere, with many families enjoying the event. I did not see any other foreigners all day! I can easily see why it’s one of the best festivals in Japan and it was well worth the 3 trains to get there!
Okonomiyaki, a delicious vegetable and meat pancake!
These adorable little girls were having a break in the shade!
Great topic - and you cover it quite well. it is always nice to be able to read the enthusiasm of students when they are blogging. In like your photos and the short video as well. the links are valuable as well. But you might want to have the links between paragraphs rather than mixed in with the text. You might also search for other students' posts on this subject and include links to their posts as well. Your post made me extremely sorry I missed the event this year! So many thanks for covering it and providing your free choice post early.
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