Minato-ku Festival!

September and October are two months in Japan that has a lot of festivals (Matsuri). Most of them are usually sponsored by a local shrine or temple.

The Minato-ku festival took place in the Zo-jo-ji temple in Shiba. There were people all over the place, eating, drinking, watching performances and enjoying their sunny day.
What is interesting about Matsuri, is that they have many little shops where a bunch of stuffs are sold but the most attractive stand is food. Yakisoba(fried noodles), yakitori(grilled chicken), donuts and Japanese sweets are extremely cheap and the drinks are less than 200yen. Made by local people, the atmosphere is great, relaxing and it is possible to feel the “sympathy” in the air. That is what I really like about Japanese festivals.

Belonging to the jazz dance club at TUJ, we had the opportunity to participate to the festival by showing our performance on stage. To deepen the friendship between TUJ and the ward, the jazz dance club offered a stage of 15 minutes, accompanied by some drum performance played by Osamu and Nao. While dancing, I saw some people shaking their body with the rhythm of the drum and the music. I felt the strength of music that emphasized the fact that music does not need any words to communicate and understand each other.

It was a nice experience because even though we were not professionals, the spectators were very welcoming and warm which created an excellent atmosphere. I hope that we have contributed for a closer relationship with our neighbors. Thank you MINATO-KU!!!