The Numata Matsuri 2011

 

  

The Numata Matsuri has come and gone for another year.

It arrived too slowly and departed too quickly: like the slug that turns into a race car … that I saw somewhere … or another.

When I think about the Numata Matsuri, all 5 senses are involved.
My 6th sense, about not drinking a lot of beer, isn’t involved so much at all.

Sight: seeing this many people doing cool stuff because they want to blows my mind.

Hearing: “The Tengu Drummers” hold everything in the Matsuri together. This year I’ve finally realized that “The Tengu Drummers” are the straw that stirs the drink: without them … it just doesn’t gel.

Taste: “Kebabman” is my favourite food stall  player. (I don’t see too many Kebabs during the rest of the year sadly)

Touch: the feel of room temperature cork as I load it into my air rifle for the kill shot. (actually I’m banned from doing this because of me poking all the stuff over by just using the gun barrel last year)
I don’t have any pictures of me sweating and drinking cold beer … so this had to do.

Smell: the smell of another Numata Matsuri next year … and kebabs … and hot sweaty weather … and everything attached to the Numata Matsuri!

 

 note: I have P.M.S. … Post Matsuri Syndrome.

 double note: 362 days of anticipation to follow
… crap! Next year is a leap year!

triple note: apologies for not visiting your blogs … I’ll be back lookey looing soon.

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Today #224

Today I’ve realized that I am a “homer” … just not from where I grew up though.

Using Mental Fingers And Toes

 

There should be a calculator for doing mental arithmetic

… or a ruler at least.

 

note: I feel sluggish lately … avoiding salt … leaving a trail … and all that stuff, but I really don’t feel like blogging for a while.
So I will be back after the next big event on my The Big Three list:

Numata Matsuri 2008 / Numata Matsuri 2009

Kinder Olympics / When Was The Last Time?

Dance Recital Madness / Dance Recital Madness: Day 2

Dance Recital Madness 2011

double note: I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, I didn’t miss last year’s Numata Matsuri from August 3rd to 5th … I just took crappier photos than usual … and thought I’d give it a miss as blog fodder for a year. I will report on it again this year. (promise)

triple note: does anyone do mental algebra?

quadruple note: I think I deposed a ruler back in 1977 … when Canada went all metric on me.

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Today 222

Today was like eating a day old banana … it wasn’t ripe at all.

Another Of The Big Three!

It was the best of times, it was the end of Februaryist of times.

One of “The Big Three” on my calendar has come and passed again … like gas … or wind … or farts. It’s also past … or over … or not happening again for another year.

Dance Recital Madness 2011 was a lot like last year and the year before but with different kids … or the same kids, but a year or two older … and with different costumes.

One kindergarten went with a colour theme: all the major colours were represented. Teal was overlooked.

The other kindergarten’s dancers’ costumes were colourful too, but they didn’t represent anything I guess.

For a week or two afterwards I say things like:

– “You were a super Super Ninja Shadow!”
– “I liked the Frog Dancers … a lot!”
– “Hey! Cowboy!” (enthusiastic imaginary pistol shooting mannerisms accompany this response)
– “You were the best raindrop out of the bunch.”
– “I really thought you were a Mexican!”
– “Next year I’m sure you will get to be a dinosaur.”
– “Nice cartwheel!”
– “I was a tomato when I was your age too!”

I wish I was 4 years old again: I’m sure I’d be the best raindrop.

 

note: the past “Big Three” are here:

Numata Matsuri 2008 / Numata Matsuri 2009

Kinder Olympics / When Was The Last Time?

Dance Recital Madness / Dance Recital Madness: Day 2

double note: I didn’t miss last year’s “Big Three“, I just took worse photos than this year’s … and thought I’d give it a break for a year.

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Today #143

Today I dropped the thermometer, but it didn’t get any colder for some reason.

Knowledge

 

I don’t have a wealth of knowledge:

I’m paycheck to paycheck.

 

note: the last illegal thing I did was move the horsey 3 squares up and 2 over in chess, but I think the statute of limitations is up on that one.

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Today #29

Today I’m going to putter around … I may carry a putter around with me, so people know what I’m doing.

Riddled

 

Some people are riddled with doubt, guilt, bullets, or questions.

No one is ever riddled with pancakes.

Pancakes must be good.

 

note: I bet Walt Disney got the idea for Mickey Mouse while eating pancakes.
… possibly Goofy was from a bad hotdog.

double note: what the hell is Goofy anyway???

triple note: I’m not good at making pancakes: they are griddled with doubt. hee hee!

quadruple note: I’m officially on holidays for a whole week! And you know what that means?

 

well yes, that goes without saying, but it also means one of the Big 3 events on my calendar …………………………………………………………………….
The Numata Matsuri! ………. and more Numata Matsuri!

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Today #26

Today was really enjoyable … to someone somewhere I hope.

The Numata Matsuri 2009

One of the “Big Three” events on my calendar has come and passed again for another year: The Numata Matsuri.

BIG THREE

Numata Matsuri

Kinder Olympics / When Was The Last Time?

Dance Recital Madness / Dance Recital Madness: Day 2

 

This was my 10th year of roaming the streets of Numata for 3 days in August … with a purpose.

It’s basically the exact same thing every year, but somehow that’s a good thing. It’s comfort food for the senses: like an old song, holiday decorations, or finding a few slices of yesterday’s pizza still in the fridge.

It ties the year together in a way nothing else can: not even a belt comes close! … or even a really strong belt.

I can’t explain it; it just is … like the word “is“.

 

Things I have learned over the years:

1. These 4 girls have not grown a centimetre since my first Numata Matsuri in 1998.

2. I can always find a place to pee within 50 meters of my current position.

3. I know which float represents my neighbourhood. It’s the one with the “funny wingy hat” thing.

4. I don’t let the “funny wingy hat” thing fool me. This is serious business.

5. Every year, the distance between where I am and where I want to go is populated with more people who want to talk with me … and slow down my progress.

If I’m with Mr. Badger  or Mr. Pettit, we don’t seem to move at all!

6. One toy will prove most popular and by the 3rd day of the festival every kid will have one. This year it was “The Frog“.

7. Beer has no affect on me at the Numata Matsuri.

8. The “Tengu Drummers” are amazing.

9. I take less photos and drink more beer each year … which has no affect on me.

10. The guy that cuts the ceremonial twine to open up Suga Shrine to the Dashi (floats) and Omikoshi (portable shrine things) is not a high Shinto Priest: he’s as official from the Suga Shrine neighbourhood that does a lot of planning for the Numata Matsuri. This year it was the guy that does the sound boards and mixing at the local auditorium. (I think he calls himself “Shigibom”)

11. If there are 2 nice women who want to talk to me, they will approach me at the same time from different directions … and I’ll always have a big mouthful of food in my mouth … and be standing by my girlfriend.

12. I’ll be standing under the big tree in the Suga Shrine grounds about 10 pm on August 5th next year seeing this … and holding my beer cup in my mouth while I do the tradition final clap with all the other lovers of the Numata Matsuri.

don don don … don don don … don don don … don
don don don … don don don … don don don … don
don don don… don don don … don don don … DON!

 

Maybe those girls in the great outfits (at the top of the post)  do grow up … but they probably never grow out of the Numata Matsuri.

I hope not; that would be a shame.

 

note: you are all welcome to come next year … but you are buying my beer.

 

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Dance Recital Madness

There are a lot of big festivals in the world: Carnival, Oktoberfest, Burning Man. The list goes on and on …

and somewhere in the middle of that list is the …

“Numata Kindergarten Dance Festival”.

This is the first of the BIG 3 Events on my calendar: the others being the Numata Matsuri  and Kinder-Olympics.    My calendar isn’t very big I guess.

I was lucky enough to get free tickets to not one, but two venues this year.

I hear all of you pulling your hair and screaming “No Way!” and “Some people have all the luck!” … and all I have to say is, “Yes Way!!!” and “Yes, I’m usually this lucky on a regular basis!!!” … and yes I usually reply to statements with more exclamation marks than the statement maker used.

It was a 2 day non-stop, full-on, dawn to dusk/dusk to dawn, spectacular, extravaganza that lasted for about 2 hours on Saturday afternoon and 1 hour and 45 minutes on Sunday morning.

The first venue was at the city’s Culture Center. I don’t know who figured out where the center of culture in this city is, but I think it should be a lot closer to my place.

 

I was a bit late, so the crazy crowds were already stacked and racked inside.

 If it was your first time at the big festival, you’d probably expect a lot of kimono wearing fan waving mumbo jumbo … and the dancers didn’t disappoint.

They rocked the house with all their amazing hand and foot work. It was like yoga, but with a pulse!

 Next came the parasol toting kimono wearing group. There was a lot of twirling and intricate walking around done.

“Who let the dogs out? … and the parasols?”

 

Then there were incredible vaudevillians to entertain the crowd. I think the one on the left tried to do a cartwheel!!!

 

The “Egg Cap Kids” came on to liven up an already ecstatically frenzied crowd.

 

Just when you thought things couldn’t get more out of hand, “The Rockettes” showed up to show off their fancy dipping and side-to-side moves … while wearing red shoes and everything.

 

All the dancers’ fluid movements were accompanied by music from the era before words were invented.
It was like poetry and music combined, but without any poetry stuff.
I guess the dancers were so great they made the songs speechless!

 

When everyone thought it was all over and were ready to take their video cameras and accost strangers on the street with video highlights, the “White Hair Shakers” came out.

And then it was all over and everyone left sweaty and in silence … probably because they’d been dancing in their seats and lost their voices from screaming so much … or were thinking about what to eat for dinner and why the heating in the hall was turned so high.

 

DAY 2 … tomorrow!

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Numata Festival 2008: phlanetrosswithanh!

The following is a response to Single for a Reason‘s challenge of “Me Trying to Be You“. I’ve chosen the amazing nathaliewithanh‘s blog to emulate. If I’ve fallen short, it will be enough.

 

It was that time of year again. I’d seen the posters plastered everywhere: on walls, sides of buildings, and outside the insides of buildings. It was time for the yearly festival that happens every year annually.

Numata is a quiet city for 362 days a year, except for leap years when it’s quieter for an extra day. Usually the most well attended events are funerals or hospital waiting room waiting areas.

But for 3 glorious days in August, it comes alive and is lively like a living thing. It’s like one of those birds or insects that only lives for 3 days before dying, and then does it all again the next year.

So I packed my extensive camera equipment into one of my shorts’ pockets, checked my other pockets for beer money, and made the long 20 minute walk to the festivities.

No one invited me, but I went anyway.

I ran in to some of my students, that I know and teach, coming from a wifebeater convention possibly. I like the 2 in the middle because I don’t teach them yet. Their mother is single glandedly trying to re-populate Japan (the youngest sibling is missing).

On the mainstreet there were games involving turtle scooping , but check out that kid’s ear!!!

Main street was closed to traffic from 1 to 10pm. This was the real deal!

More students awkwardly posing. That little girl whacked me with the stick in her hand too! Check out Elvis in the background.

Former students off to carry a big phallic symbol around the city.

Phallic symbol previously mentioned, otherwise known as Tengu: woodland spirit and resembling most big nosed foreigners.

Another student. Garbed in festival outfit and sporting a half eaten chocolate banana. He wouldn’t share 😦

Former student and father at the front. Makers of the best cake in town. Carrying the*omikoshi of the festival. *omikoshi = portable shrine.

Then it rained. No biggie; it usually rains, so everyone is prepared or too pissed to care.

Seeking shelter from the storm, I ran across these little urchins who were very impressed with Kelly Pettit‘s “I can detach the final joint of my finger” magic trick. No global warming tricks though: beer drowned my disappointment.

Then it was back to sweaty, drunk, rain-soaked, young, nymphomaniac women carrying around not one but two phallic symbols.  Okay … the nymphomaniac part I’m not sure about … for all of them.

Then the beer kicked in and things got blurry.

Off to the Grand Finale at the Suga Shrine with the 5 invited Dashi* drumming, fluting, and triangling while the Suga Omikoshi did its last frenzied stagger around the Shrine grounds while all the onlookers tried to stay out of its uncontrollable path. *Dashi=pull around floats involving pulling and stuff.

Then it was parked back inside the Suga shrine for another year. And all the festival goers went home and dreamed of the next funeral or hospital waiting room waiting area visit.

 

I don’t classify myself as a “homer” when it comes to things I miss in Canada, but my adopted city’s festival is a highlight on my calendar. I’ve been to 9 so far and hopefully I make it to another 9 or more in the future. I’d seriously be distressed if I missed the Numata Matsuri.

 

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