Haijima eki O Matsuri, August 19
Food and festivities on into the night
The Haijima Matsuri Saturday night. The music plays. The stalls provide copious amounts of delicious food. Children run back and forth enjoying the games and festive atmosphere. Young men and women dress up and eye each other across open spaces. These may not be the heart of the festival, but they seems to be a big part.
Dancing to traditional tunes for the old and young
One of the dances, to a tune which sounds strangely Russian, the dancers in the circle twirl and kick up their feet enjoying the movements. Other dances are a bit more stately, with slow articulated movements in unison.
Still enjoying the day's festivities
A few neighbors enjoy delicious food, wonderful beverages, a few laughs, and each other's company during the Matsuri. These three were just having some conversations about such varied subjects as akido, the merits of carrying a mikoshi, the anthropoligical implications of the annual timing of community merry making, and about fresh fish.
These are people having a good time.