Two miraculous days of magic unraveling”… I went to the “Tobita Shinchi Summer Festival” known to those in the know.
Children’s Danjiri” moving through the Shinchi area
Uchi~chimasho, motto hitotsuken, t~tantotantotantotantotantotantotantotantotantotantotantotantotantotantotantot ……, XX, XX, XX, XX, XX, XX, …… let’s celebrate, …… Wasshoi! Wasshoi!
The children’s cheerful shouts echoed through Tobita Shinchi on Wednesday, July 24, weather permitting. About 10 minutes before the scheduled start time of 1:00 p.m., the Danjiri parade began. Eight children, both boys and girls, ranging from elementary to junior high school age, were riding on the danjiri, shouting loudly into megaphones and beating drums rhythmically. The “XX-san” is the trade name of a ryotei restaurant in Shinchi or a store in the area.
Pulling and pushing the danjiri are children and adults dressed in white happi coats. Men and women, young and old, mix together to pull the ropes in the front and push from behind. It is a very powerful scene. What is most impressive is the shouts of the children riding on the Danjiri, which are just as vigorous as the rest of the crowd. They are full of life and full of vitality. Their voices were full of energy.
There were only about 20 people watching, not many. There were only about seven people, a surprisingly small number, who were always ready with their cameras to take pictures. However, the Danjiris were moving energetically through the Shinchi district, praying for prosperous business without regard to such things. Some restaurants are open for business, and when the Danjiris pass in front of their establishments, the ladies who call out to the customers and the women in sexy costumes watch them with great interest. A woman dressed in a happi coat accepts a congratulatory gift from the woman who calls in, and gives her a towel and a fan as a thank-you gift. Some women watched from the stile and rail, some with one hand or an utiwa covering their mouths, while others hid behind the doorway and quietly peeked in.
