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Sep 17 2009 8 Comments

Local festival lift

Living long term in Japan is not without its frustrations, and a phenomenally infuriating number of them there can be at times, but stumbling upon a sight such as this a few streets from home can,

Japanese festival

with its happiness,

Japanese festival

and history,

Japanese festival

quickly turn a grimace,

Japanese festival

into a grin.

Japanese festival

And one which may even stay put,

Japanese festival

long after the procession has lumbered past.

Japanese festival

Categorized: Culture, Photography, Religion

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. dirtydog says

    9/17/2009 at 10:39 pm

    Very cool images.

    Reply
  2. Maggie says

    9/18/2009 at 2:52 am

    The words that accompany these images pretty much sum up my experiences in Japan. Lots of daily frustrations, and a few moments of absolute wonder. Thanks for reminding me. The occasional festival procession (impromtu, or so it seemed to me) was fun to catch!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      9/18/2009 at 12:23 pm

      Thanks to you both. And glad it brought back some memories Maggie. Being Japan, I guess such events are what could be called meticulously planned spontaneity…

      Reply
  3. adam says

    9/18/2009 at 4:37 am

    I reiterate Maggie’s comment, although I think I had more wonders than frustrations.

    The last shot is absolute sex. perfect lighting/aura/abstract quality I lack the voabulary for. Lee that is probably one of my favorites you have ever done. Tip-top!

    Reply
    • Lee says

      9/18/2009 at 12:25 pm

      Wow, thanks for the kind words Adam. Very much appreciated.

      Reply
  4. MrSatyre says

    9/18/2009 at 4:56 am

    So nice to see b&w images of what just about anyone else would have shot in color (or at least presented in color). Thanks for the retro! I don’t think there’s anything in any of those pics which would indicate that they weren’t taken forty years ago.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      9/18/2009 at 12:35 pm

      You are welcome MrSatyre! I did actually shoot them in colour, but changing them to black & white just seemed the right choice, especially as the mass of colours on display tended to focus attention away from the people participating, and also detract from the timeless feel most of these festivals have.

      Glad you agree.

      Reply
  5. Misawamom says

    10/2/2009 at 6:53 am

    I live in Misawa and have had the pleasure two years in a row of participating in the local Mikoshi shrine parade in August as part of the Japanese American Friendship Association here. It really is as fun as it looks. There are beer trucks that follow each float and one of the rules is “you can carry your beer with you, but it’s a foul if you spill it!” If you ever get the chance, join in, you’ll never regret it! They rank as the most enjoyable experiences my family has had in the country!

    Reply

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