After a winding (!) drive to a mountain town we arrived just in time to see the annual Sagimai (heron dance). It was, of course, insanely hot and the performers were wearing some pretty elaborate costumes, but it was a truly unique performance! Worth the trek!
We also saw the Kosagi-mai (young heron dance) where school children performed their own version.
It is a beautiful old samurai town with lots of little waterways full of koi fish. There were many painters, potters, and other artists in town. Most of the shops were part of people's homes, and they closed up immediately after the parade (probably trying to cool off!) We are excited to go back when the shops are open and the weather isn’t so stifling.
Later in the afternoon we climbed through a long series of torii gates up to a famous Inari shrine (dedicated to the god of rice). It was flanked by fox statues because foxes are said to be the messenger of Inari. There were also fox-shaped ema (wooden plaques where people write their wishes — for good harvest, prosperity, or good fortune).
While we didn't write a wish, we did get a fortune from this machine. Our fortune was “kichi’ which means blessings…. Which is a medium amount of blessings: not as good as dai-kichi (great blessings) and not as bad as sue-kichi (future blessing).
Oh, and the best part — we found a cafe with lots of yummy (cold) treats! G ordered a mango shave ice that came out like a mountain of snow with a side of mango syrup and fresh mango compote. M got a smoothie “packed with fresh strawberries” and E went with hot coffee and cake. I tried the matcha smoothie which was very strong (it turned my tounge green and also prevented me from sleeping for the next 24 hours 😂)
P.S. Yesterday we scored some Japanese style bikes for the kids, so we will blend right in with the locals now!
Fun stuff! 💜💜
What great adventures you are going on! I love the photos and videos.