Shibuya is really crowded on sundays. When it’s raining the situation is doubly worse. But for some reason I found myself in Shibuya yesterday, on a sunday and in the rain. We took a cab from Sangenjaya and I knew I should have avoided Shibuya when just before Dogenzaka we saw at least 30 buses stuck in the traffic jam and not being able to get near the station. Even in the rain, the traffic isn’t usually this bad. Something must be happening. The taxi metre was ticking so we got out and walked.
If front of Mark City was a group of people preparing to carry a mikoshi. At Hachiko there was another group and another up the street near 109. Hachiko crossing was slightly blocked off. That and the rain was causing major gridlock around the area. Festivals in Japan are important so they don’t care if it inconveniences half the city.
In fact it seemed that yesterday was the chosen day for matsuri because on the bus home from Shibuya I must have seen at least a half a dozen mikoshi. The bus ride usually takes 15 minutes but because of the matsuri it took almost an hour. And at Umegaoka Station (above) there was even more mikoshi carrying action going on.
Yesterday, I heard the telltale drums associated with carrying mikoshi through the streets and considered getting my camera and taking a picture and talking about it on my blog. But then I knew you’d do a better job with the pictures and talking about it on your blog so I didn’t bother. ;-)
haha..don’t let me stop you from going out to find a good blog topic!
I didn’t research it but maybe there was something particular about yesterday that made it the “mikoshi day”
Was that day a national holiday or something?
I just came back from Tokyo on friday, and noticed that makeshift paper lanterns and those resturant curtain things (i forget the name) were strewn around the street sides - particularly in Shibuya, so i figured something big was happening soon.
Dammit - wish i were back there!
That was a regular sunday. Today (monday) was the national holiday. Respect for the elderly day.
My students tell me that all the mikoshi-carrying is for the arrival of autumn. It’s somewhat random, it seems. I’ve heard them at least 3 times over the past 2 weeks.