ALT in Shimosuwa, Japan: Matsumoto Bon Bon

Festival season continued for me today with summer festival #3, the Matsumoto Bon Bon dance festival. Imagine thousands of people dancing in the street, wearing colorful outfits and shouting to the beat of a catchy tune as it's played over and over and over. Imagine even more thousands of people filling the sidewalks, wearing yukata (summer kimonos), and buying food from street vendors. I honestly think a Japanese festival can't be explained. You have to be there, and feel the energy, to really understand.

To be honest, I didn't have as much fun as I hoped. I met up with my friend Max at Matsumoto station about 3:30. By then I had already had a taste of things to come, as the train I took to Matsumoto station was so crowded, at one point it was like being in Tokyo- sandwiched between people on all sides. Anyway, Max and I did some shopping first. I bought a couple new phone charms and a manga by my favorite manga artist that isn't out in America yet! When we'd had enough of shopping, there was still a while to go before the festival started, so we went to MOS Burger, a burger chain similar to McDonald's but much nicer. They actually bring your food to your table and if you have water or pop, they bring it in a glass rather than a plastic cup. :) I wasn't hungry since I had eaten lunch already, but it was really cool in there and I saw that they had a coffee shake on their menu, so I had to try it. It was really good, of course. In this heat and humidity, you honestly have to have some kind of drink on you at all times, and throwing ice cream or something sugary in the mix is a great way to get energized again.

The actual dancing started just before 6 pm. We watched for a couple minutes at the front of the parade, but then we worked our way towards the castle. The further along we went, the more crowded it got. We passed a lot of festival food stalls, like fried chicken, grilled corn on the cob, fried squid, shaved ice, and hot dogs, but the lines were so long that I didn't get anything. I did, however, get a big bottle of tea at a convenience store to rehydrate myself. :P All the vending machines along the dancing route were sold out completely, but thankfully the convenience stores were still well-stocked.

Videos of the festival from my facebook page (you can click HD to improve the quality):
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10154403213720371
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10154403240920371

Well, anyway, that was basically the festival. The dancing went for about 30-40 minutes, and then the groups would take breaks to eat and drink before starting the next round of dancing. Max and I finally got tired of crowds and took side-streets from the castle back to the station. It ended up taking a while, but at least we didn't have to shove our way past people.

Overall, I'm glad I went. I mean, this week seems to have been about new experiences, and I've had plenty of those! Thankfully I get to take it pretty easy tomorrow. I'll just be cleaning, buying groceries, and packing to head to Tokyo the next day. So expect more posts in the near future!