Gion Matsuri

Krystal and Me in our yukattas

So Krystal left for church the other day.. There’s a big anniversary event going on this year so supposedly she’s going to see a bunch of her family and friends from home down in Yamaguchi. So where does that leave me? It leaves me at home with the whole apartment to myself. I never realized how big the apartment really is now that I’m by myself for two weeks. The first week should go by quickly but I’m more worried about the week after when we have our summer break and I’ll really have nothing to do. It did feel good to have the whole bed to myself though…

This past weekend has been pretty eventful in Kyoto. From last Thursday to today (Sunday) it’s the Gion Matsuri. Its one of the older festivals that they celebrate in Japan. In the center of the city they have many of streets lined with little shops to buy yukattas and accessories. They also have a ton of festival vendors that sell food like yakisoba, okonomiyaki, and takoyaki. On Friday the BOE of Kyoto, threw a party for the JET that have finished their last year in Japan. There were about 10 people that had their contracts expire last week. The party was really cool. It was an all you can eat and drink for 3 hours. And it’s been a tradition in Kyoto that at the Leaving JETs party everyone comes in their yukatta. (oh yeah yukatta are summer kimonos.) Anyway everyone looked pretty awesome. I got really into it because it felt cool to be traditional yet look pretty cool. The best part was walking around in the actual festival after we were all drunk on happiness and alcohol.

The main street in the middle of the city Shijo, was totally blocked so that people could enjoy the festival. The biggest attraction of this festival were the floats that the local shrines, temples, and stores pull/push through the streets. There were about 20 floats throughout the city. We walked around with the huge mob of people all wanting a look of the floats. Personally I wasn’t really too impressed by the floats but I hear that it’s a great honor to be apart of the festival. I think the part I liked least was the music that goes along with the festival. It’s a series of flute notes and a weird drum/bell thing that has a very high pitched “twang”. I guess the music is supposed to be traditional and all but the thing is that they play the music everywhere. Since July 1st you can hear the music in train stations, stores, convenient stores, and even on the streets. The music just kind of gets to you and when its actual festival time you’re not thinking, “Oh cool festival music” its more like “Ahh crap they’re still playing this crap?” I guess I have to deal with it just a little longer until July is over and the city goes back to normal.

Well, today was Marine Day which means I get to stay home from work. I don’t know what the main reason for this holiday is but I think it has to do with the fact that its hot and as a nation, Japan wants to encourage family outings on this particular day. Well I did what anyone else would do on a holiday, sleep in. I woke up around 1:30 to the humid summer day and decided to do some chores. I debated for a long time whether or not to wait for Krystal but I decided to go on and watch the rest of The Sopranos. The show is addicting! I can’t seem to stop.

I dunno what else to write about so I’ll check you guys out later

Break it Down…