Nothing Says Japan Like Octopus Tentacles, Bruised Shoulders and Bonfires!: Japan Diary #3

So some of you have asked for me to post more. I should note that I'm not around a computer very often, but when I am, I'm on borrowed time and don't have long to do even respond to an e-mail let alone type a post, but I will do my best. I'll at least get two posts done today for you so you can all lay off me for a few days!

I also was asked to have less words because it hurt someone's brain or something. So I will give two versions of my next post.

Version #1:

Stayed in Tokyo Sunday night. It was fun. I had wings and octopus.

Went to Yotsukura with some dudes and carried a big shrine around. It was fun.

I hadn't taken a dump in like 5 days. It was not fun.


If Version #1 wasn't enough for you. I present:

Version #2

So, we didn't end up staying at a whore house that Sunday night. I lied. We found a place in Ueno which is a popular district next to Tokyo centre and next to Asakusa. I should explain in like a sentence Tokyo and how its divided. Tokyo as a whole is the capital and major city in Japan as you all know, next to it are places like Kyoto, Hiroshima and Kobe but are not nearly as big. Tokyo is comprised of a few major districts, on the north east you have Ueno, and Asakusa in the center you have Central Tokyo. South you have Minato-Ku and Shimbashi and in the west, Shinjuku and Shibuya. There are a bunch of others, but those are the major spots. So we got lucky to find a place in Ueno on the Sunday night and went out to dinner with Justin friends Damien and his lady friend to get some Japanese style wings. Before you say anything about the Japanese making wings, I have to say they were delicious and probably some of the best I've had in a while. Had some drinks and some other food to munch on including some strange dishes Justin and Damien forced on me "because I'm in Japan" type stuff like Octopus, more fish intestines, baby squid etc. All were decent and worth the try since yes, "I'm in Japan."

The next day, Justin, myself, Damien and a local Shuhei (a local dude who is rad and works for a local blues record label in Tokyo) all headed to Justin's residence in Yotsukura where I'd be living in and out of for about a week. When we got in, we went and bought some food at the local fish market and grocery store, came back cooked it and then went down to the beach and had ourself a little bonfire. The next day on the Tuesday was the big day. It was the day of the famous local festival that has been going on for generations called Yotsukura Omikoshi Festival. Basically its a town wide event where everyone comes out to watch 5 different groups of people carry these large shrines on their shoulders around the town, bringing them down to the ocean where they get down into the underwear and go into the water to honour ancient ocean Gods. Eventually, the shrines are brought back into town, have a final showdown in a major town square and brought back up to the temple. Its an entire day event lasting from about 9AM till 6pm just before sunset. During all of these there are incremented breaks for all the participants to drink either juice, sake or beer. Most pick the booze.

The best part about all this? I got to be one of the participants to carry one of the shrines. Myself, the boys, some other foreigners (teachers) and locals represented Yotsukura. We were able to wear the traditional gear including shorts, a gui, headband with the town emblem on it and some ninja shoes (we got to keep the shoes and the headband). I will say that the shrine was f**king heavy! That thing had to weigh a couple hundred pounds and was not built for 5'7" Japanese guys and 6'5" white dudes to carry on their shoulders it at the same time. These Japanese dudes (and women) were insane! They were able to carry most of the weight while the rest of us whities tried to keep up. Meanwhile, I'm trying to bend my knees and back enough able get under this thing well enough that I don't trip and get trampled to death and enough that I don't look like some pussy in front of these hardcore Japanese dudes/dudettes. Some of these guys do it so much around the country they have massive goiters on their shoulders like Quasimodo...seriously.

Anyway, all this while you're carrying this large priceless object on your shoulders you are chanting, yelling and doing some sort of traditional two step when necessary. Sometimes you bring the shrine down to the ground and move it up and down as if it was riding waves. Screw yoga or kick-boxing for a work out ladies and gents, come to Japan and partake in a shrine festival. This will make you feel as if you've just work out for 72hours. You are expected to switch off with others to recover, but then jump back in when someone else needs a rest. You are told to bring towels to put on your shoulders, but even those don't work because the later that day your shoulders are raw, bruised and just plain hurt like pulling a nose hair out. Sounds awful, but its an amazing experience! Everyone in the community is out, cheering and their roles is to throw change at each shrine as they pass by as offering. Sort of like a chanting, moving, sweaty and beaten charity. At the stops its free booze and juices, but you can barely get one can of beer or spirit down into you before you hear a whistle from your team and you're right back under that beast bringing it up some hill and back down again. I was warned it would be hard work but fun, though like Tokyo, I was ill-prepared at how much hard work it would take and how much fun it would be. My shoulders hurt so bad going to bed that night I had to sleep on my back instead of my usual side! Loved it! It was the definitely a highlight of the trip, and I have only lived for 25 years, but it will go down as a highlight of my life.

Wife: Can you believe it Blob? We had our first child and its a beautiful girl? We...have...a...child! Can you think of anything else this exciting?

Blob: Hmmm, I guess, but there was this time when I was 25 years old I went to Japan and participated in this shrine festival in a little fishing village in a place Yotsukura, I've told you this story right?! I must have

Wife: God Blob, like a hundred....

Blob: It's a good story, so we woke up around 8 AM and went down to where we get dressed for the festival and...

I'm thinking its going to play out like that. When it comes time to actually have that conversation in order to have sex again I may agree with my wife, but in my head I'll be thinking of the chants and tradition I had an opportunity to be a part of.