This week two important things happened: one of the biggest yearly festivals in our town in Japan… and a trip to the Gifu City immigration office to stay legal aliens.
What were they like? What did we eat? And most importantly, how hot was it? Let’s find out with some photos!
This picture is when Abbey and I first showed up at the festival. There were so many people, including Abbey’s students. We couldn’t go more than three steps without her being stopped by someone yelling “Abbey-sensei!”
I was introduced as the mysterious husband they’d heard rumors about. I’m sure the lucky
kids who met “Scott-husband” will be swapping tall tales at school once summer is over.
There were lots of things to do at the festival, including a… uh… pet beetle lottery…
…and a mask lottery! It’s like something right out of Majora’s Mask.
So many people! We live in a small town, so this is like literally everyone in one place.
We eventually caved in and decided to get something to eat. This place had cold soba, cold
udon, fried soba, fried chicken, hot dogs, chicken wings, fries, and more.
I of course went with a hot dog on a stick.
Abbey went with a cold soba, which was probably a good idea since it was about
90 degrees (Fahrenheit) outside. It was the last one they had. Lucky Abbey.
A closeup of Abbey’s meal. There were so many vegetables on top,
you can barely see the noodles! And underneath the noodles was actual ice.
A Japanese festival classic: the shamisen show.
Another Japanese festival classic: this stand was selling fried pig intestines. Neat.
We went inside an old-fashioned Japanese house that
had a central garden lit up with multicolored lights.
They changed from reds and greens…
…to purples and blues.
Abbey was obviously mesmerized by the sight.
And then there was dancing!
See if you can spot Abbey dancing to the “Fish Song” in this video.
You tried real hard, Abbey.
And then it was time to go home! The people we went with were kind enough to give us a golden watermelon they grew in their garden (along with some wild boar meat they did not grow in their garden), so we had some great food when we got back home too.
Until next year, Yotteriya Mitake!
A few days later, Abbey and I had to go to Gifu City to renew our visa paperwork and remain legal aliens. Thankfully the whole process at the Immigration Bureau was pretty quick, so we had plenty of time left over to explore the city.
First stop, the Gifu City Library! This place is brand new and pretty cool.
In fact they’re too fancy to even be called a “library.” They there “Gifu Media Cosmos.”
Pinkies (and umbrellas) up, everyone!
The library is two floors. The entrance floor is cafes, a convenience store, information
counters, and rooms to rent out. The second floor is where the actual books are.
We’ve arrived on the second floor!
All the different sections are housed in these little mushroom-like areas.
I have to say, I agree with that slogan off to the right!
Look at all the mushroom sections sprouting all over!
After the library we were back in the city, and we caught sight of this building.
“So what do you guys do in this building?”
“Uh… something.”
Salacious!
Of course we had to pop into the local Don Quixote.
It’s basically if Target and Spencer Gifts/Hot Topic had a Japanese baby.
They have everything, and it’s all laid out like this.
Bright, colorful signs are everywhere on all three floors.
Abbey checking out the cosplay section, wishing she could
become a Japanese idol just by donning the right uniform.
Copyright-neutral Female Mario for Player One…
… and copyright-neutral Female Luigi for Player Two.
There’s also a costume so you can dress up like a kindergartner? Uh, neat.
“I done pooped on a stick!”
The Don Quixote penguin mascot is everywhere,
always watching you with his big anime eyes.
One of the bikes outside advertises anti-crow technology!
Japan’s crows can be vicious.
LCOHOL – Enjoy even without a alcohol.
Lunch was at a nearby Indian restaurant. We ordered the curry plus all-you-can-eat
naan bread set. The flower designs in the curry were cute, but man, dat naan doe.
Dat naan doe.
And of course no trip to the city in the summer would be complete without Abbey starting a Pokémon stamp rally that she will not finish. All the different train stations in the prefecture have a different Pokémon stamp, and if you “catch” them all, you can get prizes.
Maybe someday Abbey will finally finish a whole rally,
something that elementary schoolers do regularly.
And after that we came home and collapsed because it was over a hundred degrees outside all day. Normally going to the Immigration Office and back isn’t too bad, but just an hour outside in that intense heat nearly did us in.
If you want more stories from Japan, then join us when we stream on Twitch every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 7:30pm-10:30pm (U.S. Eastern Standard Time).
Hope to see you next time, friend!
Scott Wilson is the author of the novel Metl: The ANGEL Weapon,
forthcoming December 2018.