Saturday October 8

Saijo: 24 and sunny

Today is the Sake Matsuri in Saijo. On our first day we said that we would participate in the festival parade……not realising what that would entail…..

We had the morning off today and it was great just to kick back and relax, get some washing done, do some emailing or in my case blogging and not have to rush around. At around 12pm we headed into Saijo and had about 90 mins free time before we had to practice for the parade. We looked a treat in our happi (coat for festivals) and hachimaki (headband).

The town was transformed and had become a bustling metropolis…..no longer a sleepy farming town. Marg, Tanya, Bianca and I wandered around and sampled some of the festival food and I had to have some sake….not that I like it, but when at a sake festival….

On the first day, we signed up to participate in the parade. The Midarebayashi Parade “was composed in 1982 for the city’s 5^th anniversary. Its music and dancing describe the development of Higashi Hiroshima and the joy of production”…..basically we had to bang a drum and sing. We were in the parade with a group of primary school kids and they had a LOT of energy.

As we walked along the streets we were photographed, videoed…..and maybe laughed at!! But definitely appreciated.

The parade was great, but 3 hours of meandering around the streets was a bit much. By the end of it we were pretty exhausted. However, it was a great thing to be a part of!!!

After the parade, we wandered around the streets and then headed to the main stage where a taiko or drumming performance was to be held. Tanya teaches taiko so she was very eager to see it.

After another very looooooooooong day, it was back to HIC. I’m exhausted!!!