Home > Focus on Japan 2010 > Matsuri!

Matsuri!

October 11th, 2010

Yesterday, Sachi and I took a few hours off to walk down to the local Matsuri. These happen pretty often in Japan, sometimes sponsored by the city, but usually taking place at a neighborhood shrine. This one was at Tanashi Jinja:

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There was the central shrine area, where people came to pray:

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Quite a few young parents came to bless their newborn children:

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There was even what looked to be a Sumo ring around the side, though I think it was used more for traditional music and dancing, which we missed out on:

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These are “Ema,” wooden tokens marking the prayers of shrine-goers:

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Now, on one side of the matsuri, there was the traditional…

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…And on the other side, just as traditional… and for many, the real reason to go:

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Vendor stalls!!

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Right in the gate, Sachi found some dried plums and tomatoes she couldn’t resist–and you can tell from the vendor’s face that he knows he’s got a sale.

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Samples of grilled mushroom and garlic, anyone?

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And what says “traditional Japanese festival” better than candied apples? Okay, maybe not–but I have been seeing these more and more.

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With the tree-lined setting, it was actually quite nice, kind of a faux-touristy taste of an Edo Japan market street.

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Potatoes on sale, with vats of butter at your disposal–help yourself! And add some more salt if you feel like it.

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Step right up, three darts for three dollars, hit the target and get some Lilo and Stitch crap!

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We’re having fun!

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And who wouldn’t have fun, what with this traditional–and now, it is traditional in Japan–treat of candy-coated bananas:

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Also with sprinkles!

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Fried chicken in a cup…

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…and pork (theoretically) on a stick! Sachi lives for the Frankfurters.

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Of course, no matsuri would be complete without Takoyaki, grilled octopus in a veggie batter.

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These are also common, Ooban-yaki cakes–bean paste and custard grilled fresh:

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Too much fun for some…

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Here’s another matsuri staple: Kingyo sukui, fishing for Goldfish. You always know there’s a local festival when you see a family coming home, the parents guarding the packaged cotton candy while the kids grasp plastic baggies with their new pets.

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Sachi just loves the Takuan tsukemono, yellow pickled radish. I can’t stand the smell myself, but I have cinnamon incense for that purpose.

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After the chicken and the franks, we got some pretty good yakitori, including a stick of buta bara (pork ribs), seen here in after-and-before stages.

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And, we call it a day.

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  1. October 12th, 2010 at 01:23 | #1

    Looks great! My favorite matsuri is in ikebukuro/kishibojin oct 15-17

  2. Troy
    October 12th, 2010 at 04:25 | #2

    十月の上旬 . . . best time in Japan, along with about 2 weeks in April that the weather is identical to N California.

  3. Ken sensei
    October 12th, 2010 at 12:58 | #3

    Why is Japan so much more fun that California?
    My wife and I went to the Obon Festival here in the Bay Area this past August. Kind of a dud in comparison.
    It’s just not fair…

    –kensensei

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