This is the third year that we have been bringing international residents to participate in the annual Sakaide Summer Festival, and once again we enjoyed all of the spectacle, sweat, tears, muscle-ache, and excitement of hefting a two-ton taikodai (enormous, traditional Japanese festival float) in the air and maneuvering it throughout the Sakaide Station Square.
K-FUN participants from the UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, China, Brazil, Korea, and the USA, all experienced first-hand just how exciting Japanese traditions can be. We all donned hapi coats and hachimaki headbands - traditional clothing that really got us in the spirit for the event.
Then we shouldered the massive wooden floats, hefting the two-ton frames in the air using nothing but human strength and teamwork. Four pacemakers stood on top of the float, keeping the whole 70-member team in rythm with verbal commands. The crowds cheered us on, giving us a boost when our energy began to lag.
Many of the floats included banners with messages showing support for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku (Northeast Japan). This banner reads, "Ganbarou, Tohoku! Ganbarou, Nippon! (Hang In There, Tohoku! Hang in There, Japan!)"
Interacting with the people on our team, taking in the festival atmosphere, and truly experiencing the joy of Japanese traditions is always the highlight of this event. We will be back in 2012, and we hope to see you there!
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