More progress on the cabinet... »O-Matsuri 101, aka Your Guide to Octopus Balls...
OK class, take out your notebooks and get ready for a quick lesson in how to have fun. We're coming up on festival season in Japan, and wherever you go, there's a PARTY!
Usually the consumption of large quantities of sake or beer is optional, but it helps. You will probably find several of the items below in any festival. Oh, by the way the Fried Octopus Balls are for real. Ever heard of abelskivers? Ok, just think of a small round ball of dough similar to pancake batter, with a chunk of octopus inside. Pour a little sauce and flaked seaweed on top and you're set! It's called takoyaki (fried octopus) in Japanese, and a festival wouldn't be a festival without it. Personally, I really love fried octopus balls - NOT!
A O-Mikoshi or portable shrine is the most traditional and exciting part of a festival. Made of wood, with several long runners or "poles" running front to back. These shrines range in size from small "Children's Mikoshi" to Cadillac size monsters that weigh more than a ton.
Anywhere from ten to a hundred people, dressed in Happi coats and Hachimaki headbands chant while carrying the shrine. With an O-mikoshi it's not the destination, it's getting there that's the fun part.
A DAISHA is a giant festival cart built with the same strength and attention to detail as the Temple or Shrine itself. They often weigh 5 tons or more, and nowadays they even have sub-structures made of steel I-beams. The center area under the roof seats a handful of musicians who play HAYASHI, or traditional festival music with a bamboo flute and taiko drums. The carts usually are covered with lighted paper lanterns..
The best part is the wide variety of costumes and variations, with bright colors making the festival a very lively sight
The Daisha picture was taken at the Kawagoe Summer Festival, which is famous throughout Japan for the large number of festival carts that are pulled by hand up and down the main street. The other pictures were taken at the annual Hachioji City Festival in Tokyo .
If you have the chance, check out a festival while you are in Japan. A good source of festival schedules and information are any of the English language Japanese daily newspapers.
These two youngsters are wearing the traditional clothing that people carrying the portable shrines do.
WA SHOY to ya!
Original publish date 1998.10.2
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