Miya Matsuri Summer Festival, 2012

Kindergarten pupils dance with their nursery teacher.

Men carry a portable-shine or mikoshi wildly.

School girls wear yukata or summer cotton kimono talking at the corner of a street.

Miya Matsuri Summer Festival in 2011

Miyamatsuri Summer Festival 2011 fell on a rainy day again this year.

Tens of thousands of people came to Odori Avenue in front of Futarasan shrine to watch the bustle of festival one week ago. I also went out to watch it with cans of beer and cameras.
It was a great fun to me.

Summer Festival

The other day, I took pictures of summer festival participants in front of my condo.

When I checking pictures, sometimes, I realize myself how little I know about Japanese traditional festival clothes and gears. For example, what are the wood sticks they are holding in the first picture, how do they use them and purposes?

Are there special meanings of the hats and caps they are wearing in the fist and the second picture?

Please tell me if you know some.

Miyaichi-Sai, Summer Festival Is Held in Utsunomiya Today.

When I was taking a nap this afternoon, I overheard a sound of drums from outside. I got up, took an elevator to the ground floor and jumped out of my condo to see what’s going on outside.

Men and women, young and old, they were, not doing anti-government protest nor shouting against nuclear power plants, but they were enjoying their first summer festival in Utsunomiya, though it's still in the middle of a rainy season.

The scale of the festival was not so big as Miyamatsuri festival due in early August but I was able to get energy from them.

Miya Matsuri Summer Festival in Utsunomiya

Miya Matsuri Summer Festival is held in the center of Utsunomiya city in early August every year.

Many people, young, old, men, women wearing Yukata come to the center area of the city to watch parades of decorated floats, eat and drink street foods.

My elder daughter Emi is too busy for studying to go to the festival. Younger daughter Rina went there wearing Yukata with her friends.

I didn’t have a chance to take pictures of Rina in Yukata but took some pictures of decorated floats and young guys carrying a Mikoshi or portable shrine.

A Summer Festival Season Has Come In Utsunomiya.

Rainy season has been over here in Tochigi and a summer festival season has come.
Ten-nou-sai summer festival is the first summer festival in the year in Utsunomiya city.
We had it yesterday and the day before yesterday.

After practicing tennis with my colleagues as usual on Saturday, I went to the center area of Utsunomiya city and took some pictures.

Track and Field Race and Summer Festival

My younger daughter Rina took part in the Utsunomiya Citizens’ Track and Field Race today. She won both 200m and 800m races. Congratulations Rina!

Rina holds four certificates. She got lower two certificates in the 1500m race and the 800m race in May. Upper two certificates were, 200m and 8000m, given to her today.
She is a member of track and field club of her junior high school. She usually attends a junior-high 800m race or a 1500m race , or both.
She said that today’s race was for amateur athletes, so some of stronger runners would not attend today’s race.
That ment there would be an ample chance for her to win even the 200m race.
It was the first time for Rina to compete the 200m race, but she won the race.

She had finished the races in the morning and came back home to go to Miya Matsuri.
Miya Matsuri is a summer festival in Utsunomiya city.
Many people wear Yukata or summer version kimono to enjoy the festival.

She changed her clothes from her running uniform to Yukata, but still kept wearing her running shoes on, and ran to the Tobu department store to meet her athletic club friends.

Summer Festival: Miya matsuri

We had Miyamatsuri summer festival in Utsunomiya today and yesterday. I went to the festival with Rina. She holds an apple candy. Apple candies are sold especially in summer festival. To make a candy, they use a whole apple putting candy source on it.
It’s really yummy.

Natsu Matsuri is a Kids' wonderland.

When I was a small kid, one of my most favorite things in summer is to go to Natsu Matsuri or summer festivals that are held in small Japanese shrines or temples.

Kids can play games, buy toys, eat sweets, and watch strange shows.

Many of those exciting events are still existing in some downtown Tokyo.

Visiting summer festivals was as important for me as swimming in the sea, camping with friends, or watching big fireworks.