National Foundation Day

 Feb. 11th--Today is National Foundation Day in Japan and Raymond had work and class off.  We had decided to go to the Japanese National Foundation Day Parade at Meiji Shrine.  However, last night the flu bug that's been going through the kids hit Raymond and so he spent the day recovering.  Caitlin wasn't feeling particularly festive, so we left Kirstin with her and the rest of us went! 

There is a lot to see at Meiji Shrine--which is huge--but we want to come back and explore this another day, so we didn't stop and see all the parts of it.  We were just here to witness a celebration.

After walking for some time on a wide dirt path, we found the Haiden.

This guard stopped everyone from continuing up to the shrine in order to allow this procession go by.  We didn't know who they were, but, WOW.....

She was just gorgeous. 

There was a prayer ceremony going on at the temple.

 The priests were wearing interesting hats.  It had a black flap on the back that kept bouncing around as they moved.

While we were waiting for the parade, to the side we noticed another procession getting ready to start.

These two had many photographers taking pictures of them, but they were very gracious.  I loved how they looked at each other.

After this experience, we came home and did a little research.  These processions were for a wedding.

Chris wanted to take a picture, so we posed for him in a quiet spot near the haiden.  

After lunch, some drummers set up and began to entertain the crowds.

These little ones couldn't have been more than 3 yrs. old, and they were so cute.  Most of the time, they just ran around their drums banging it.

The older ones were simply amazing!  We all loved them!  They pounded those drums so hard you wondered if they were going to break them.  While they did that, they were chanting and dancing.    They were very talented.

In front of the Haiden, many school children gathered to sing, play instruments, and recite.

We also watched several elementary school baton teams and high school marching bands. 

Then, the large courtyard cleared out....it was time for the parade.  The parade is made of many Mikoshi (portable shrines) being carried towards Meiji Jingu, where a Kigensai ritual ceremony is carried out by Shinto priests in special festive attire to commemorate the foundation of Japan.. The ceremony is to celebrate the enthroning of the first Emperor of Japan , Emperor Jinmu, on this day 2600 (!)  years ago. 

Some boys came through and walked up to the steps.

Then some girls came in.....

....and stood on the steps as well.

This guy was fun to watch as he spun this thing around.  About this time the drums started up again, along with cymbals and whistles.  There was a lot of loud chanting, yelling, and clapping.  It was a very loud party atmosphere. We were a little surprised.  At the Daruma festival, everyone was silent and it was a very solemn atmosphere.  Considering that sacred shrines were about to be carried in, we expected much the same atmosphere.  Total opposite.  Everyone was excited and having a great time.



Finally, the first shrine came through the gate.

Followed by another....

....and another....

....and another...

 ....and another....

...and another.

There were eight shrines in all.  Each shrine was carried in, brought through the courtyard to the steps, then carried around the courtyard and would end up in its designated spot. 

 As the people brought them to the spot where they would set them down on saw horses, someone would stand up on a small ladder and guide the shrine in with these wood blocks.  It was exactly like what you see at an airport as they guide airplanes.

 Through all the crazy noise and bustling, this patriotic lady stood solemn and strong.  You couldn't help but notice her for the respect and honor that she was showing to her country as she silently held her country's flag.

Some kind gentlemen came around and gave each of the kids a necklace with the Japanese flag on one side and a sheep (it's the year of the sheep) on the other side.

We saw a lot of this today....I know that this is not a big deal in this country, but for us Americans, it is a little bit of a shock. 

The drummers finishing up now that the shrines are all in their places.

 There were thousands of people here.  We couldn't believe the crowds.  Everyone was happy and having a great time, but we had been here for almost 4 hours... now that the parade was over, it was time to move on and get some food.

There were a lot of booths, bands, and people mingling all over Yoyogi Park.  We walked around for a bit, and then got some takoyaki to try out.  We were trying to be brave....eh, they were o.k. The octopus was really tough and we couldn't really chew it.  We all ended up spitting the octopus out.

What an interesting day!  I'm not sure what we were expecting, but it was very unique experience for us.  In many ways, we felt like we had been transported back to Biblical times and were watching the worship of something similar to a golden calf.  The energy in the crowd was amazing.  We're really glad that we got to see this!

Here's what the kids thought of the day:
Tayla:  I did not like the men who were wearing sumo bottoms.  I liked the pretty ladies in kimonos, they were so beautiful.  I liked the red umbrellas.  I thought the people carrying the shrines were interesting.  I thought the shrines were really pretty.  I liked the parade.
Christopher:  Awesome.  I really enjoyed it.  My favorite part was lunch and seeing the shrines being carried.  I liked the flags that the marching band girls had.  The shrine was really big.  I like takoyaki.
Logan:  It was neat to see all the shrines that went around, that people can carry.  I really enjoyed the parade. 
Nathan:  Awesome.  I liked the whole thing.  My favorite part was the dancing.
Audra:  I like my necklace.