My own DeepaRaya

While everyone back home is probably enjoying some extended break, we here at Fukuoka have a holiday as well, coincidentally, on the same day. It is 文化の日, or Culture day. Not too bad yea, barely a month in Fukuoka and I have already had 2 national holidays. I went with Kouji, Eiko and Rinko to Karatsu City for their annual Hikiyama(引き山) literally *pulling the mountain* festival.




Basically these are giant floats (made of what I do not know because I did not get a chance to touch them) that are trawled through the cities at night by men from seperate villages of Karatsu City. There are a total of 14 of those floats, ranging from the mask of Yoshitsune to Koi to the Chinese Lion on a ball. (All these sound so much better in Japanese but because I was explictly told by Xianzhi to write in English, I guess my literal translation would just have to do) heh.



Basically the young boys are at the front of the line pulling the float, and the older teens and men are behind, and everyone goes Hei-sho! Hei-sho! or Hei-ya! Hei-ya! and the atmosphere was electric. There will be people on rop of the floats waving paper lanterns and musicians playing the Japanese flute on the foat. Kakkoii! Basically the floats could only go straight and I was watching the parade from a corner of the road so when they have to turn the entire team turns the float in one fluid motion and the float swooshes past me right in front of my face, as so:



Was really cool, street food and souvenior shops were selling so much stuff and I really had to restrain myself from buying one of those coats that the Japanese were wearing because I knew that I probably would not be able to wear it very often back home haha.