Since I’ve arrived in Japan, I’ve been to a few festivals. I went to one in Meguro which was a traditional festival. They had miniature shrines (mikoshi) that large groups of people would carry through the streets as whistles blew and people shouted. Upon following the mikoshi, I wound up at a shrine where there was even a Noh (traditional Japanese theater) performance. There were booths set up serving various types of Japanese foods from okonomiyaki (fried noodle pancake) to takoyaki (squid and batter made into small balls) to beer (my favorite!). The other festivals I’ve been to have been of a similar fashion (minus the Noh performance). Today however, I was introduced to a different kind of festival.
I went to Jiyugaoka’s Megami (female god 女神) festival and it did not follow the traditional festivals I’ve seen in the past. No mikoshi being carried around. There were of course the vendors serving various Japanese foods and beer. There were various stages set up throughout the city. Coming out of the train station was the main stage. My girlfriend and I didn’t stick around there to long however and instead went exploring. As we walked we hit Hilo Street where we took a right. A little bit down the road was a Hawaii themed gathering. On the stage was a group of Japanese musicians playing Hawaiian music while a crowd of people sat on the ground drinking and having a good time. Flying high and proud was the Hawaiian flag with “Aloha” sprawled across one of the walls.
After departing the Hawaii festivities we continued to explore. We looked around the many shops that covered every acre of real estate. Along the way we encountered a couple of other themed areas. One was Halloween themed and at another a magician was performing to an enthralled crowd. Down the same road that the magician performed was what can only really be described as a median with table after table, bench after bench, Heineken umbrella after Heineken umbrella, and people taking every square inch drinking beer and wine, talking and laughing.
At this point I finally partook in my beverage of choice, a nice ice cold Heineken. Afterwards my girlfriend and I proceeded back to the main stage where “Nawii” performed. Before they took stage they were introduced as “hip pop”. This was a very suitable description. Nawaii consisted of two males and two females. I think two of each type to appeal to every possible audience. One of the males rocked designer shades, a vest, a Kango hat, and designer denim with the belt buckle cocked off to the side while the other a long sleeve t-shirt with denim and long hair. The females wore different outfits as well. One of the females portrayed the “very cute” image that many Japanese girls emulate. She wore a pink glitter mini skirt with a matching cowboy hat. The other female wore the clothing of a hip yet more mature woman. Together they put on a performance as they had the crowd waving their arms back and forth. The beats even forced my feet to start moving to their rhythm.
About an hour after this performance came the final performance, Aikawa Nanase. According to my girlfriend, a little over 10 years ago this girl was very popular. During the time that I was rocking out to groups like Rage Against the Machine and Korn, Japanese people were rocking out to this girl. The audience grew by hundreds and everyone waited in anticipation for Aikawa to take the stage. As she did, smoke came shooting from the stage and the lighting went off like some kind of alien space ship signaling another. The audience went nuts as they bounced in place to her music and pounded their fists in the air. If this concert took place in America, I could easily see a mosh-pit forming and crowd surfing taking place. The energy was intense. Aikawa’s vocals pierced the air as people in the surrounding high-rises viewed the show from their windows. My favorite however was the bass player. His energy was immeasurable. He bounced all over the stage in tune to the wicked thick lines he was throwing out of his amplifier. When it came time for his solo he went irate, slapping and popping the bass as he rolled backwards on the stage. I became an instant fan of Aikawa.
I've enjoyed every festival I've been to here and I very much like the traditional style festivals. There has got to be something said for the not-so-traditional though. I had a blast.
