Living in or near Tokyo for over 20 years, you tend to get used to the neon lights, towering skyscrapers, and the breakneck speed of urban life. It's all too easy to assume this is the norm and that Tokyo is just another big city like any other.
But every now and then, something happens that seemingly catapults you back in time, reminding you of the unique traditions that make Japan special.
Take last week, for instance. Less than 100 meters from our house, there’s a Shinto shrine, and they decided to throw a matsuri (Japanese festival). I only realised something was up when I returned from the shops and suddenly found myself in the middle of a crowd, with people chanting "Wasshoi!" (which means something like "heave-ho" or "let's carry it together").
As I got closer, I saw a group of people, both young and old, dressed in traditional attire, carrying a heavy float on their shoulders - a mikoshi, which is essentially a portable shrine.
The brave souls carrying it were a mix of seasoned pros and enthusiastic rookies. The veterans, with their serious faces and synchronised steps, looked like they had been training their whole lives for this moment. The newbies, on the other hand, looked a bit like they had bitten off more than they could chew, with expressions ranging from excited to mildly panicked as they probably realised just how heavy that mikoshi was.
When I saw that they were heading towards our house, I dashed to the balcony for a bird's-eye view of the spectacle. And what a spectacle it was! It felt like I had been transported back a few hundred years. If it weren't for the parked cars and electric wires overhead, the illusion would have been perfect.
The scene was a delightful mix of chaos and camaraderie, with everyone working together to keep the mikoshi moving and balanced - a task that seemed far from easy. As they slowly made their way down the narrow one-way street, the float tipped precariously from side to side a few times, causing me to worry about our car in the driveway. Can you imagine a one-ton shrine toppling onto it? Yikes!
Thankfully, the carriers were skilled enough to avoid any disasters. And as it turns out, the financial damage to the mikoshi would have been far greater than to our car. One of the participants told us that their brand-new mikoshi cost a whopping $150,000!
So, there you have it - a slice of life in Tokyo, where ancient traditions and modern life coexist in the most fascinating and unexpected ways.
How fascinating!! I truly believe it is important to maintain our traditions. They are part of what we are. Globalisation and modern is sadly erasing most of them, which is very sad...
Well done, Rolf 🎊🎉