Omikoshi Festival

Just got back from a summer "mikoshi" festival in Suge on the outskirts of Tokyo. Invited by Yuji, an Obirin student who is also a DJ and studies English through hip-hop, I went without really knowing entirely what I was getting myself into, but I had a blast. I'll try to convey why this event was special for me and the community where it was held.

This wasn't the first time I've heard of an "omikoshi" (translated as portable shrine) (日本語で「御神輿」). As preparation for a speaking assignment in our English Language Program (ELP) courses, the ELP director prepared a video in which he was interviewed about his favorite festival, which happened to be the omikoshi festival. He talked about how the shrine was carried from place to place and people drink sake/nihonshuu and are generally merry and sometimes the shrine is thrown into the air. So at that point I had some idea of what an omikoshi (the "o" makes it an honorific) is.

When I got the invitation from Yuji last week, he asked me to wear comfortable white clothes, and bring tabi, or traditional Japanese shoes used for exercise or martial arts, etc. So I realized we would be participating in the festival, not just watching. I asked him if I could bring a video camera and he said fine, so I got the impression it would be OK to both observe and participate.

***This brings me to today's media news, which is that I just purchased my first camcorder! JVC Everio GZ-HM1. This also contributed to the significance of the event for me.***

As it turned out, I participated almost the whole time. When I got there, Yuji gave me a happi coat with his neighborhood group logo. Each neighborhood has their own mikoshi group with four localities represented at this festival. Yuji's neighborhood group is called the "seven god group (七神会)." Two of the guys in the group tried to explain it to me, and apparently the shrine represents 7 kinds of gods from land, sea, sky, wind, happiness, etc. I noticed while I was carrying the mikoshi that there were 7 seals, which I imagined represent the 7 gods, but I don't know. Clearly, the ornaments on the shrine all have some symbolic value, but I have no idea and I'm not sure most of the group members do, either.

The main event was carrying the mikoshi from place to place, and let me tell you, it is heavy! The miniature shrine itself is mounted on four hardwood beams, and about 20 or so guys carry it on their shoulders. The women's mikoshi followed, slightly smaller. But I think that was left behind at the first resting point and some of the women joined us in carrying the bigger mikoshi.

After hoisting the massive (hardly portable!) contraption up onto our shoulders, two guys with whistles help direct the mikoshi. A procession forms led by a truck with a wadaiko group, lantern bearers, the whistle blowing "traffic guides," group leaders, and supporting members who rotate in and out of carrying the shrine and a group of "cheerleaders" on the side, who sing, dance, chant, and wave their arms to pump up the shrine bearers. The whistles provide a steady rhythm, and then a call and response chant begins among the shrine bearers, providing a kind of marching rhythm and unifying the group. The enthusiasm of the shouting keeps you genki while working like crazy to keep the thing aloft. My shoulders hurt now, but actually my throat hurts more from cheering at the top of my lungs!

As the procession developed, people came out to watch with their kids and family. Several of the foreign exchange students I was with remarked on how nice it was that this event brings together the young and elderly in the community. Twenty-somethings and college students were toiling with fifty-plus retirees in carrying the shrine, and we were able to meet and converse with people of all ages.

Along the way, there were stations set up with tents and refreshments, a really hospitable and friendly environment. While we ate pickles and onigiri and drank beer and tea, we met some of the other participants and made small talk. It was really nice to reach out to people you wouldn't be able to meet on the subway or at random in a cafe. I think that's one of the special things about this festival. Since it's out of the ordinary, everyday routine, people have a chance to break out of their normal roles and try something a little different. Even though were were gaijin, people were really nice to us and made us feel included and welcomed.

Finally, at the end of the festival, we brought the shrine back to its original location, where some group members had prepared a feast of nigirizushi, yakisoba, tsukemono, tempura, onigiri, stir fry, etc. We were able to talk a bit more with some of the group members during the meal, and they were all curious about us. Where we are from and why we were in Japan and why we could speak Japanese and if they could speak English. I find these are pretty common conversation starters that I get asked a lot as a foreigner.

Though I was a little uneasy about participating as a foreigner, I eventually threw myself into it and had a great time.

I've had this experience a few times when participating in cultural events as an outsider. For example, the Shiva Rathri festival in Varanasi, or playing wadaiko at Oberlin, or candombe in Washington, D.C. These are all festive events, which I find really interesting and enjoyable. So I'm happy to participate and throw myself into such events without fully comprehending what I'm doing, or why I'm doing it. Some might take issue with this approach, and I'm sensitive myself to accusations of cultural appropriation.

Yuji and I talked about it before the festival and he was saying that some old men in his neighborhoods group didn't like foreigners participating. Though I didn't encounter any overt hostility, I can understand why it would be weird for foreigners to participate in a "traditional" ceremony. Nevertheless, Yuji said, "it's natural." I think it's natural when we encounter another culture that we want to try out their customs and imagine what it would be like to be a member of that culture. Having been working for cultural exchange for the past two years, I'm glad this festival gave me a chance to revisit these issues. Perhaps through this participation, the culture itself changes and evolves, as it would naturally, but with a foreign influence. Of course, there is always something lost and something gained, but I hope tonight respect and understanding was gained for the people in Suge as much as it was for me.