2015-05-03, Roaming around I found a festival

Yesterday I decided I needed a relaxing day after all the walking and sightseeing.  I had a quiet morning but couldn't stay inside on a beautiful day so I got on my bike and rode south.  The idea was to do some grocery shopping but first...

I'm not sure if this is rice or wheat or what... seems way too early for rice...
I thought the pink flowers were part of this plant but they were cherry blossoms
from the trees along the path.

A pretty path leading to a shrine.

Then I came upon The University of Shiga.  I have been past Shiga University many times but I didn't know where this was.  This university has a nursing program and an environmental science program.  It was Saturday though so nothing was open and noone was around.

I rode down a lot of narrow roads, past rice fields and along the lake. 

 I found some nice temples and shrines along the way.

The bees were loving this wisteria.

I found some whole wheat flour and cornmeal (yeah!) and then decided to stop for lunch.  

They say champon is a specialty of the area.  It's like ramen but I think perhaps the broth is different and there are a lot of vegetables served in it (not usually the case with ramen).  

Champon - noodles, vegetables and meat in a nice light (but a little salty) chicken or pork broth.
Perhaps not the best choice for the hot day but delicious.

Continued on, picked up groceries, and some ice cream for the freezer so I had to hurry home.

Today (Sunday) I spent the morning waiting for Peter to call and then realized it was Sunday, not Monday.  But it was nearly 10 and that's usually when my mom calls so I waited for that and then went to the Y100 store and came back before heading to a festival that I'd read about.  I was looking for directions on googlemaps the other day and saw that I could get to this shrine a different way (I usually go to the castle and take that road.)  I'm always up for taking a new road, one never knows what might be around the next corner!  Today it was another festival at a smaller shrine!  The people were very friendly and it reminded me of the River School festivals with all the neighborhood children (who were dressed to participate) running around.  

I talked to some people and watched the men pound mochi and the women sprinkle it with kinako (roasted soybean powder) and then hand it out to everyone.  After establishing that the mikoshi (floats) would be paraded around at 1pm I decided to go and check out the festival that I had been headed to when I had got side tracked.  After going down many small and curvy roads, I found the 2nd shrine but I was afraid I'd never find the place I'd just left!

This shrine, and it's festival, was bigger and there seemed to be different 'teams' that would carry the floats.  They were wearing different happi coats.  It was lunch time and they all had bentos that must have been ordered or made for the participants.  The only food that was being sold was cotton candy and shaved ice.  There were a couple of little girls dressed up in beautiful little kimonos and one boy.  Soon after I arrived they were led to the stage where there were many monks and some other people and everyone gathered in front.  After a little speech by the head monk about being courteous and careful of others, the people on the stage proceeded to throw mochi (wrapped) into the crowd.  It reminded me of fans at baseball games trying to catch a ball.  But, if you catch mochi it brings good luck.  Well, I suppose if you catch a ball at a game you've had good luck...

Everyone eating their lunch.

How cute can you get??!!

Can you see the mochi in the air under the right hand corner of the roof?

Two people came to talk to me (in English) so I can't say the people here weren't friendly but I liked the feel of the first festival better (and I wanted some lunch) so I started back.  I made it partway there and was trying to figure out which road to take next when I heard the taiko drums.  I followed the sound (I don't know that I would have found my way back without that) and got in line for a hot dog - had there been a bun (no such thing here) and saurkraut it would have passed for an American hotdog.

I watched some more rice pounding and started a conversation with the woman next to me, who filled me in on the particulars of the festival (it's to ask for a good crop), the fact that there are fewer children and young men to carry the floats (many have moved to the cities for work), etc.  They had me pound the mochi a few times and insisted I eat more as well (no problem).

They're steaming the mochi gome - sweet rice (it's not sweet but that's the English name)

It's pounded with this mallet while another man uses that leaf on the left to add a little water when it gets sticky.

 

Could that man on my right possibly be laughing at me?

Then it was time for the parade.  There were various mikoshi, one for the young children to carry, one for the older children, and one for the men.  There were also taiko drums that were rolled along.  The mikoshi are VERY heavy and since there are fewer men they now carry/roll the big one along.  It still seemed heavy to lift though.  And like the Awa Odori festival there was a lot of drinking involved (so they could endure the pain caused by the weight!).  They would go a couple of blocks and then stop when offered beer or sake (the children were given juice or snacks).

It was a lot like the Butterfly Parade in PG with the parents walking alongside their children.

Trying to get out of the neighborhood I kept hitting dead ends but finally made it.  Went to the vegetable store and they had some live music in the square.  So I decided to try a 'homemade' green tea ice cream (she said they crush the tea into powder themselves) at a tea shop and listen.
(It was very good ice cream.)

There was a guitar, an autoharp, singing and dancing (by the mascot).

This, evidently, is Yachinyan, supposedly the cousin of Hikonyan (although he's a cat).

I think this week's weather (in the 80s and sunny) was a fluke (hotter than normal) and from today it will go back to normal spring temps, mostly in the lower 70s, some 60s and cooler at night.  Can't say that I'll be too unhappy since once summer comes I really won't be able to ride around too much in the heat and humidity.  But I do love being able to wear short sleeves and have a good excuse to eat ice cream.  But really, who needs an excuse to eat ice cream, right Lauren?!