When the party comes to you, MIKOSHI!

Mikoshi are portable shrines that resemble the Jewish Ark of the Covenant (I am thinking Indian Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark here). Japanese festival goers hoist the gold-laden wooden shrine on two giant poles and bounce their way down the street, chanting as the try to excite the god who resides within. This is for the viewing pleasure of the neighborhood temple goers. It was a pretty cool parade and festival. It just so happens that the Mikoshi parade stopped right in front of our apartment on what is normally a quiet Sunday afternoon. I was told that the Mikoshi weights about 2 tons. Check out my video below. 

The traditional dress for this event is strangely similar to that of Zap and Kif from Futurama...short! While some guys and nearly all of the women who participated wore pants or shorts underneath their costumes, some did not. See if you can spot the Zap-like festival goers...be warned though, you might not like what you see. 




Thanks for reading.