Week 16: Mitama Matsuri Festival

This week, I went to the Mitama Matsuri Festival with Ryan, Kelsey, and Ocean. During the summer, there are festivals in Japan to honor the spirits of the dead. At Yasukuni Shrine, there were 30,000 lanterns displayed. There was a portable shrine procession right before it turned dark at 6:30 PM. There were also other events, such as Awa Odori dance performances, noryo summer folk dancing festival around the bronze statue of Masujiro Omura, and a beautiful display of Sendai Tanabata ornaments that all happened on different days.

Last week, my friends Kai and Jennifer visited Japan for a little over a week. On their last night in Japan, we went to a buffet with king crab, sashimi, sushi, wagyu, and lots of other dishes. The price was pretty steep, at 12,000 yen per person (~$81), but I ate lots of king crab and sashimi, so I did not mind the price. At our table, we had a yakiniku grill, so we grilled crab, oyster, and wagyu. There was also a sushi bar with lots of different pieces. The location was Ginza Happo, and they have a 120 minute time limit, so we did not have to worry about time.

I also saw that for a limited time, the Hungarian Horntail dragon from Harry Potter would be in front of TV Asahi Roppongi to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the release of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". It was cool and they had staff nearby to help visitors take pictures with the dragon.