We stopped at a Konbini to have some lunch and to escape the heat. Konbinis have many positives and two of them are bathrooms and air conditioning. The other positive today was that Pierre from France also came into the Konbini for lunch. He has been walking the 1000 km pilgrimage on his own. Respect, Pierre.
Perhaps a bit of oversharing here, but being on the road can play havoc with your digestive system and being regular. Barry had read about the green smoothie at 7 Eleven so we are going to give it a try. Fingers crossed!
Since these meals are cooked on the metal plate, they arrive sizzling and remain at a good temperature. I chose chicken with melted cheese and a tomato sauce. Yum.
The Saijo Festival is the traditional fall festival of Saijo City. We were not aware that it was going on until we started seeing these amazing floats. The festival has been taking place since 1603. It is an amazing event, in which about 150 festival floats (decorative floats known as “danjiri”, portable shrines(“mikoshi”), and taiko drum floats called “taikodai” are presented to shrines. The festival is a Shinto ritual that gives thanks to the gods for an abundant harvest of crops. The biggest drum wagon is over 5 metres high and weighs about two and a half tons. The festival involves pushing these immensely heavy structures through the streets of the city. Besides pushing them around the city, they’re also hoisted into the air by 100 or more men who struggle and grunt under the four huge poles that support the danjiri. Much beer and sake is consumed to keep everyone in tip-top condition.
A poster for the festival. The greatest spectacle of the festival is when all of the danjiri floats gather on the banks of the Kamo River that runs thorough the city.
When we booked accommodation in Saijo, it was the last room that was available. Our room was on the ninth floor and the view was of the train station across the road. Later in the evening we heard loud drumming. We looked out the window and saw many lantern covered floats gathering at the station. We headed downstairs to take part in the festivities. Talk about serendipity!!!
