The Mikoshi Parade was one of my favorite Japanese experiences so far. I'm a sucker for a good parade and the Japanese do it right! The only thing that would have made it better is if Shane could have been here for it!! Their version of a float - the Mikoshi - is a portable wooden Shinto shrine carried by volunteers. My understanding is that local communities each have their own Mikoshi and carry it through the streets chanting and dancing to ward off evil spirits.
The parade was really long - 75 different community groups with either Mikoshi or Dashi (wheeled cart that holds musicians playing drums, flutes, and traditional music). On the right is the base mikoshi representing!
This picture looks kinda boring right?! If you take a closer look you may see some very interesting clothing choices (or lack there of!)
This was by far the largest mikoshi - there had to be about 50 people carrying it!!! Even the smaller ones appeared to be really heavy - you could see the strain on the carrier's faces! The girls on the right are just beautiful!
The parade is an open base event with festivities on and off base. This picture is priceless - the Japanese seemed to really LOVE pizza and McDonald's, this guy had both!
Last but not least, a little video of one of the mikoshi - complete with chanting AND dancing!
If you'd like to see all of the pictures from the parade (trust me you do!) click here. Disclaimer: some of the outfits are pretty skimpy!!
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