諏訪神社 祭り Suwa Jinja Matsuri (Festival) – Part 1
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.