This past Saturday I spent about 3 hours on trains going to and from one of the places where I am teaching (Atsugi Naval Air Base). There were many more people dressed up in summer yukata than normal. It dawned on me that, it being a Saturday, summer festivals could be happening. As I exited my train station I took a look at the nearby display board of public events. On the one I was looking at there was a notice for a 祭り (matsuri or festival) at 諏訪神社 for that day and the following day.

I told the family when I got home that they probably shouldn’t eat much at home. They were still unprepared for their first summer festival, however, as they didn’t come hungry.

Festivals aren’t just about food though. There are lots of games too. The game above allows you to catch (and sometimes keep) goldfish.

The above sign says that you can catch and keep up to 5 fish for 300 yen. If you want to just catch them for fun (and not keep any) then the price drops to 200 yen (about $2).

If goldfish aren’t your thing then perhaps you’d like to fish for toys instead?

The last photo is supposed to be one of the traditional, Japanese summer dress. The yukata look authentic, but I don’t believe Crocs were very styling in the Edo Period.

Related posts:

1. Sanno Matsuri at Hie Jinja (日枝神社の山王まつり) Yesterday we went to Hie Jinja for the Sanno Matsuri. Festivities continue through the 17th. An employee said the highlight actually happens Saturday night. Someone else said the best stuff...
2. Tenso Jinja Matsuri – Part 3 If nothing else, this festival got our faces known in the neighborhood. Most Japanese are hesitant to say anything to a foreigner, in part because they don’t know if the...
3. Suwa Jinja (諏訪神社) I have yet to get past part one in my Suwa Jinja Matsuri series. Someday I’ll return to those pics. Fast forward six months to a neat-sky Sunday in February....
4. Wrapping up the Takeda Shingen Festival It’s time to finally wrap up this series on the Takeda Shingen Festival I went to in Kofu last month. I’ll probably share some more photos from my day in...
5. Tenso Jinja Matsuri – Part 2 Every time the mikoshi was scheduled to stop somewhere, a guy would appear on a box and begin directing it in to its parking space like someone helping an airplane...

Posted on August 28th, 2009 under Japan • Tags: food, japan pictures, matsuri, people. • RSS 2.0 feed • You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed