Our intrepid band of foreign residents ventured to Sakaide, where we donned happi coats and hachimaki headbands and then proceeded to heft two tons worth of o-mikoshi (a portable festival shrine) for the better part of the evening.
The highlight of the night was when we gathered at Sakaide Station for the festival finale. People thronged from all over, spilling out of the shopping arcade, the nearby SATY, and the neighboring houses. The train platform was full of lookers-on as well.
At around 8 p.m., all 11 teams gathered in the station plaza and hoisted their massive o-mikoshi together. It was spectacular to watch the other teams literally throw their two-ton shrines up in the air...and it was terrifying when our own team did the same! However, everyone emerged from the nigh uscathed, and after we toted our shrine back to the gathering spot, we were treated with some delicious food and some much appreciated libations!.
