Summer Festival!

xxxxx It’s the night of the Summer Festival and the Shangye Shinsa is filled with color and people! All about the Campus of the Shrine and the Parking Lot are various stalls, each a by product of hand crafted care, holding products/goods or games. Lanterns hang over head the pathways, their light soft, and flickering, but it provides plenty of light to see what is going on and where people are going. Colorful banners hang about the roofs and from poles, each banner being its own message of thanks giving to the Gods and wishing harmony to all who partake in tonight’s events. The people in attendance are many, and most hail from the local community, each dressed in fashion of their desire, so there is no one single attire but a multitude of culture. Many are dressed in traditional attire of the evening, Japanese style, but there are those dressed in traditional fashion from all over Asia. Vibrant colors everywhere, Blues, Reds, whites, pinks and yellows, for anyone not used to such vibrance would find that tonight was a culture shock.

xxxxx The scent of food hangs heavy in the air as the various food services are about and each holding their own tradition of food preparation, this multitude of food only incites hunger with the delicious smells present, and for those new to Asian cuisine, its exotic and new, but offers a chance for exploration! Takoyaki, Okonomiyaki, Yakisoba, Kakigori, Karaage, Dango, candy apples, cotton candy, Friend Rice, Pot stickers, and the like is served, a mix of different cultures and food offered to any who are adventurous enough to try, or those who are seasoned and looking for a taste of tradition.

xxxxx Products being sold not food are masks, clothing, accessories for men, women and children, Toys, even small weapons such as knives and the like (No full-on swords). The stalls are done in simple fashion, wood, with markings of good tidings along with the proprietors calling, be it their name or whatever they will to call their stall and services for the evening. Of course, there are several Martial Arts schools at the festival as well, each of them showing off their forms, even having their own friendly competition through form and mock fighting.

xxxxx Music is being played and it fills the Campus and the Parking lot with its melody, though it plays more of an ambiance due to the amount of people about and their noise of conversation, laughter, Kids playing and their laughter, and the like. All of the stalls are a mix of Asian culture, not simply Japanese, but Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese and so on, seems the idea to pull the community together for this Festival has more or less succeeded from the looks of it.

Music:
Hour of beautiful Japanese music
Japanese Koto Festival Music!
Beautiful Japanese Music!