Women musicians

女性の演奏者が素敵です。

 

Sharp-looking dad

イクメンですね。

Taking a break on the street at Sanja matsuri

道路で、休憩を取ります。

Festival marches through shopping street in Asakusa

御神輿が浅草の商店街をまわっています。

Clapping and sharing a heavy load on the street, at Sanja Matsuri

手を叩いて、皆が一緒に重い御神輿を担いでいます。浅草の三社祭で。

 

Making friends is easy at festival

祭りで、新しい友だちを作りやすいです。

Making friends at a festival is very easy. Thanks, Albert, for taking this photograph!

Festival outfit mixes easily with mama-chari bike and cellphone

はっぴを着ている人は、携帯を使いながら、ママチャリを乗っています。祭りでは、昔のものと現代のものが混ざります。

I missed all the shrine carrying, but what I really enjoy is the mix of the old and new, all taking place on streets full of people and closed to traffic. I like how this guy is casually wearing his happi jacket and no pants while talking on the phone and balancing on the prototypical Tokyo bike with kids seat and basket.

Some “downtown” characters form part of the organizing committee

三社祭のまとめ係の人は、下町っぽいです。

These gentlemen look like they’ve participated in the Asakusa sanja matsuri many times before. They seem very much at home in Tokyo’s shitamachi, known for its traditional, Edo-influenced culture.

Wood and string toy provides old-fashioned challenge

剣玉は、伝統的な遊びです。

It’s nice to see the young people at the matsuri giving their smartphones a rest and enjoying some old-fashioned games, like kendama which involves catching a ball tied to two wood cups with a string.

Food and drink spill out into the street

路上に、食べ物も飲み物もはみ出しています。ビールと霊的な行事は組み合わせがよさそうです。

Nearby commercial establishments put tables and chairs into the street. Beer and mixed drinks in cans seem to fuel the spiritual rites.

A clan assembles in front of Sky Tree in an Asakusa side street

スカイツリーの前に、人が集まっています。御神輿は時代を通して変わらない儀式なようです。

Alongside the worship of local dieties, who are physically carried through the streets, Tokyo matsuris bring clans together and express group identity with matching jackets. Sky Tree in the background provides a contemporary marker to what feels like a timeless ritual .

Working class fashions include ink and hair dye

祭りでは、下町のファションが見られます。浅草の三社祭では、刺青が多いです。パンクのピンク色の髪もあります。

While much of “proper” Japan forbids the sight of tattoos, at festivals there is a proliferation of working class fashion, including large visible tattoos. I was equally struck by the long pink mane that makes the other fellow look like a punk version of My Little Pony. On-street drinking and smoking are also possible.

Festivals are the best part of summer in Tokyo

東京の夏は、祭りが一番楽しいです。通行止めにした路上に、大勢が集まって、たくさんの人が伝統的な服を着て、楽しい雰囲気です。

I love Tokyo when festivals bring neighbors into the street carrying portable shrines; eating, drinking and dancing on streets closed to traffic; and wearing traditional outfits. In May I went to Sanja matsuri in Asakusa as well as a festival at Hanazono shrine in Shinjuku.