Omikoshi

Before my parents arrived, I had the opportunity to take part in a local festival in my friend Kaitlin's town. This involved carrying the '神様'(kamisama) - the god of their town shrine - around the local neighbourhoods and communities, allowing the people to pray for good luck and fortune on their houses and business etc. Whilst the God might have been a ethereal spirit, most likely weighing less than a feather, unfortunately he has to be carried in an incredibly heavy wooden box called an 'お神輿' (Omikoshi), which a large group of people carry collectively on thir shoulders. It really hurts the shoulders, and we had to carry this large box around for about 4 hours! Luckily we took regular breaks for a beer or watermelon (both of which were so so refreshing after lugging around what I felt like a wooden whale on your shoulders in warm weather).

Kaitlin cheerfully carries the Omikoshi on her shoulders. I assume that because she's smiling it means that she's not properly carrying some of the weight of the Omikoshi on her shoulders! It seems the man in front is carrying her share too!!!!!

The most interesting part of the festival perhaps for me, was my costume. I was introduced to some of Kaitlin's friends who had invited her to take part in the festival and one of them said to me 'Do you know Japanese tea-bag?'. I was a little bit confused as to why he was suddenly asking about Japanese tea - while questions like 'Can you eat Japanese food?' and 'Can you drink Japanese tea?' are common to hear, this was probably not the best time to ask these things. So I politely smiled and then he guided me to a hidden corner of the noodle bar we were in. He gave me a long cloth and told me to put it inside my underwear at the front, and bring it back out at the back. Slightly confused as to where this was going, I complied. He did a bit of wrapping around my waist, and then instructed me to put this cloth in and through my boxers again. After this second time - he said 'Off! Pantsu off!' A little bit shocked, I could do nothing but put my trust in the this rather big Japanese man. So off my boxers went, and luckily it had worked out that the cloth had very clever been formed into a sort of diaper! When it comes to personal space and such, the Japanese don't seem to have the same ideas as Westerners do. He was casually adjusting this 'Japanese tea-bag' so that everything would be secure in its place, while I was a little bit on edge, thinking he was a little bit too close for comfort! A little bit later that man asked me, chuckling 'Are you embarassed?' - Whilst the initial shock of the unknown was a bit uncomfortable, being naked at the onsen quite often means that my tolerance for embarassment is quite high!

So it turns out that this was the 'Japanese tea-bag'. A kind of traditional Japanese diaper, that was a bit tight, but allowed for a pleasant draft. To this day I can't remember the proper name for it. That, and a longish Japanese jacket called a 'Happi' was my festival costume! Luckily for the girls - they got to wear long trousers!

But despite the interesting costume and the incredibly heavy 'Omikoshi' that we had to carry around for a rather long time - the festival was great fun, and a really unique experience. For a small moment we were completely involved in the community of that town. People work together, have a laugh together, drink together, wear interesting costumes together. We were also the first ever foreigners to take part in that festival, its just one of the many experiences that make living in Japan an amazing experience.

My interesting costume! My lovely legs were available for all to admire! I like how in this picture nobody else is wearing what I had to wear! But I assure you, there were other guys in the same predicament as me!