Back in Japan...

It's been a pretty good, pretty typical week. Some classes, some chilling, some planning, lots of thinking. This weekend I went to the movies in Kobe, a festival and party in Osaka, and had home-cooked food back in Gak. It was a nice balance, and hopefully it'll keep being that way ;)


At the Doyadoya Festival at Shittennoji Temple in Osaka
After the festivities, the monks processed out of the shrine...we kind of accidentally ended up right where they were standing, so anyone taking pictures of the monks from the front angle most definitely would have 5 or 6 gaijin foreigners mucking up the picture lol...

So yes, this is an actual event. hundreds of young boys in loincloths and headbands marching around, yelling and cheering, fighting to catch "banknotes" (it just looked like paper envelopes with money inside lol), and being sprayed with water...cold water I'm pretty sure...
Add a huge crowd watching with cameras to capture every embarrassment, and you've got Doyadoya. 
We're still not sure if there is a serious part of this festival, it honestly seemed like a mix of a coming-of-age and hazing ceremony, but I would be lying if I said that it wasn't enjoyable to watch. 


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