Miya Matsuri Summer Festival

 Miya Matsuri summer festival was held last weekend.

Baked apple candies and chocolate coated bananas are the two most kids' favorite sweets in a Japanese summer festival.

Many young girls in Yukata, or summer version of Kimono, were gathering around the Futarasan shrine Torii gate.

Several men were preparing Mikoshi shrine for the night time parade of climax of the festival.

Japanese shrines hold festivals to celebrates Shinto gods, and to pray for prosperity and good harvests.

Miya Matsuri Summer Festival

Miya Matsuri summer festival was held today and yesterday in Utsunomiya city. 

Many women wore beautiful Yukata and little kids wore cute Happi in this occasion.

Aside from summer festival, I hurt my left knee while playing tennis about three months ago.

Since then, I've been absent from practicing tennis and canceled all tennis tournaments.

I sometimes have a hard time even when I just walk at natural speed.

It's must be the first time for me to stop playing tennis for such a long time.

I booked a thorough medical checkup at a big hospital scheduled a week later.

Miyaichi-Sai Summer Festival in Utsunomiya

Miyaichi-Sai or Miyaichi summer festival was held for three days last week.

The festival is held on a period between the rainy season and the hot summer season expressing people's joy of coming summer.

Hustle and bustle of the festival remind the citizens of the arrival of the summer.

Miya-Matsuri Summer Festival Has Come

The biggest summer festival in my town is Miya-Matsuri that was held on the first weekend in August.

All traffic was shut out from the main street of  the downtown and hundreds of people were dancing, singing, carrying portable shrines and playing festive music.

There is a jinx that they would have evening thunder storm during the two-day festival.

But this year, the jinx was broken and all participants seemed to be enjoying every moment of the festival.

First Summer Festival in My Town is Held

The first summer festival in my town is called miyaichi-sai.
The festival was held in the time between rainy season and hot summer season expressing people's joy of coming summer.

I happened to take some pictures of the very final scene of the festival.
They thanked the success of the festival and prayed their future happiness by clapping hands together.　
This 'clapping hands' is a common way of closing a festival in Japan.

Yukata Go Well With Matsuri

Many young Japanese girls love to wear traditional clothes, 'yukata' in summer festivals.

Yukata are kind of summer version of kimono.

Kids are wearing 'happi' or straight-sleeved coat in the second and third pictures.

Happi are also traditional clothes to festivals in Japan.

Miya Matsuri Summer Festival in 2013

It's a Miya Matsuri summer festival today and yesterday. 

Many people came to the center of Utsnomiya city to watch kids' dancing, marching bands, kids' ballet, a lot of genres of musical performances and carrying mikoshi by young guys.

Kids performances were really enjoyable.

Ten-nou-sai Summer Festival 2013

Ten-nou-sai summer festival was held a week ago on Sunday.
Each group carried an Omikoshi or a portable shrine and ran up 95 steps to the shrine gate.

They competed the time how short it would take.
Yes, it's a really tough race.

After the ten-nou-sai festival, the real summer season would come to our town.