Autumn = Festivals

Autumn is just chock-full of events! Part of it, I think, harks back to the more feudal days when the whims of the gods decided the productivity of one's crops. There shrine festivals in just about every city throughout Japan, or so I am told. They vary a little bit, but follow the same pattern. The city is divided into sections, and each section is represented with a portable shrine, where the honored deity of that section lives. The shrines are carried on top of poles around part of the city in a processional line to the main city temple to give thanks and get a blessing. Usually the participants, and even observers, shout washoi, washoi, washoi to keep up the momentum and moral becuase the shrines are pretty heavy. If the shrines are too close to each other, espcially around the main temple, there might be a "fight" (they kind chase eachother, or see who can hold the shrine in the air longer).
I went with dave to Nihomatsu for their shrine festival, which was also the Lantern festival. Each shine that was pulled was actually hundreds of lanterns. That festival had so much energy!

The other popular Autumn event is Undokai, what we'd call a field day or sports day, excpet it with the elementary and younger age kids it is a family event. I was invited to a little town called Funehiki by some friends to see their school's Undokai. Bethany's whole family (her, her husband Jimmy, and their daughter Kayla) live here. Kayla is 3 and attends the 3-year old kindergarten with Japanese students. She has picked up some Japanese, but Bethany says Kayla will only talk to her school mates in Japanese.
At the Undokai there were relays races for each grade level, as well as for parents, teachers, and grandparents. The kids also did dances and some did a gymnastic routine. It was a lot of fun, and the kids were so adorable! I'd love to see something like that in America. I had field day in Elementary school, but it was just for the students. In Japan, it's for the whole community.

Undokais are held in autumn, cuz they are supposed to be a reminder of when the Olympics where in Japan. Sometimes there is a Olympic themed race