Local Matsuri

The first in 5 years.

Back in October, we finally had our local Matsuri.  As far as getting out and doing things, it was great.  We did get to meet people we had not seen for 4 years and some for 5.  I misunderstood what we could and could not do due to the short notice we were forced to give everyone.  I understood that we could not follow the regular route because the Fire Department needed 3 month advance notice.  Turns out that we were able to take the regular route for the children’s mikoshi, pulled on a small trailer, but not the adult mikoshi.  One or more of the groups that help us out needed the longer notice.  So the kid’s mikoshi was pulled around the usual route in the morning and we carried the adult one in the afternoon.

Customarily, local businesses who sponsor us set up tables filled with refreshments at or near their establishments.  Not for this year.  For reasons I do not know, they remained shuttered on the day and instead a groups of residents, perhaps the local Children’s group, performed this function at a park.

We were undermanned for the adult mikoshi.   I ended up carrying the thing for the entire time excepting the breaks we had.  I am still sore.

The Ohayashi group played, including the other family I think I wrote about earlier.  They have long experience with the music and given their numbers, might have practiced at home.

The elderly man who was going to teach a dance to my now ten year old is no longer a member.  2 years ago, his wife fell ill and it is a full time job looking after her health needs.  He closed his dry cleaning shop and quit the matsuri group to look after his wife.  I doubt it would be accurate to state that the lockdown lites we endured played no role in her health failing.  She is elderly, but isolation has long been known to increase the degenerative effects of old age.  Their home is at the end of the block.  As we wheeled around, I spied him dancing in the foyer of their home.  Mixed feelings.

Several others including a few who are (were?) not so old were conspicuous in their absences.  I know that some have passed away.  I know that our previous kaicho is in the hospital after suffering a heart attack in his home.  He was very hearty and healthy for a man of less years than he.  He is of course shot up with the clot shot as are all but one of our membership.

I asked our chief musician (Mr. S), a professional matsuri music performer, how it went.  “Absolutely horrible.”, was his reply.  Even before the panic he has expressed concern over traditional Japanese cultural dying out as they were have great difficulty in recruiting children to perform.  While my 4th grader did go to the practices before the matsuri, they only held 4 before the event instead of the months of practices that they used to hold.   Whatever muscle memory the kids might have had has long been erased.  The adults retained theirs but mostly let the kids play.   From Mr S’s perspective, it was disaster.  Next year is likely the last year my son can participate for the year following it he enters 6th grade and thus begins preparing for entrance exams.  His life will be nothing but school, cram school and tests, tests, tests until entering college.  My Irish friends I met here in the 90s were correct, Japan is a mad, sad country.  Now it is even madder and sadder…. with masks.

The very next week was the main city shrine’s matsuri and we were asked to participate.  We fell in with a different group than I did last year.  Last year kids were barred from the festival, cuz covid.  This year we all could participate.  I do not know why we were with a different group but we did have fun.  I witnessed something I had never seen before.  While it is customary to lift the mikoshi high above our heads and shout widely in front of businesses and homes of those who donated money or beer or in other ways supported the group the past year, this was the first time I saw it performed to a mother and adult son holding the memorial photo of their respective deceased husband and father.   

Our oldest carried a children’s mikoshi for the first time at the Kanda Matsuri this past summer and at this event helped with the adult one for the first time.  It is great to have kids along for the after festival party.  No one thinks it odd when parents accompanied by kids leave before drinking and eating far too much.   I had no such luck last year.

A few weeks after the festival, the Sushi restaurant where we got our hanten and changed for last year’s festival had gone out of business.