July 12, 2008
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Yamakasa Practice 7/12/2008 #1
Here are some fellows stopping traffic.
More fellows stopping traffic...
Now before I start posting pictures of the year's biggest event in Fukuoka, I know what some of you are going to think. This has been going on here for seven hundred years, and the custom and dress of hundreds of years ago has been preserved. Just think of it as a sport, like sumo wrestling and get over it. It is a sport, actually. Seven teams of men from different parts of the city will compete to carry these two ton floats on a decided route, and they will compete for the best time. Today they practiced carrying the floats along part of the race route. Traffic was stopped during practice time.
The first float enters!
These fellows are waiting for their team's float to arrive.
And here it is!
And there it goes.
The next float
Running with the float - these guys are carrying, not pushing! The race route is a couple of miles long, so there are plenty of extra carriers running with the float to change shoulders when the carriers get tired.
And there it goes!
Here comes the next one!
Everyone keep running!
And yet another float - this is quite a crowd!
This is cute or something...
Next float
The fellow on the right needs to shape up.
The rider encourages the carriers on.
The next float is coming! This fellow runs ahead of it to tell everyone to get back up on the curb.
Clear the road, here comes the next float!
The race route funs through narrower streets, too, but it was impossible to get many pictures without getting trampled. I think I will take pictures of the real race from the broader street.
Practice is over and everyone makes their way to a group meal. The younger ones act as the waiters and eat when the older men have finished.
A conversation
Another group on their way to a party.
This is Kushida Shrine, the starting point of Tuesday's race.
People line up to "pay their respects." What's that over the shrine building?
Here is the beginning of the race route. The competitors carry the floats in and around the red pole, and then back out onto the streets. The grey areas in the diagram are...
...bleachers from where the event will be watched beginning from 5 AM on Tuesday morning!
Comments (9)
THAT is funny!! Traditions are so fun aren't they?? HAHA!
Okay, I know that this is a sport and a tradition, but oh, my goodness! I am just not used to seeing that many buns all at once! I would have to learn to get over it....because the first time I would see this parade I would be in shock and keep burying my head. At least they have little flaps in the front.
It takes a lot of getting used to.....
Those floats are very ornate! Now, do the guys take turns pulling it or something? There are a lot of guys, and not a lot of them pulling all at once.....
@Kaysera - Yes, they do take turns carrying the floats, changing carriers as they run. I think alot of them are also just there for moral support.
Very very interesting. It looks like a lot of fun!! Buns of fun!!
Don't I love my Husband's Japanese heritage! This type of stuff is what i remember as a kid in California. Only it was dances to help the fishing. love em!
Ushamiki
@nalla6 - Whoopee, nalla6 returns! How does the screen look? Am I allowed to put up backgrounds that make things hard to read again?? Aki's mom decided not to have the procedure done because her vision is not all that bad. I think for her that is the right answer for now.
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