Queen Elizabeth I and Part One of the Festival Weekend

I don’t want you to think my needle is gathering dust.  The Sun Dragon is finished but there is already another stitching project to take his place.  Meet Queen Elizabeth I.

 

I’ll tell you more about her in a day or two.  I don’t expect to get much stitching done this weekend because there are three (yes, three) different festivals in my town: the Autumn Shrine Festival (Friday – Sunday), a smaller festival at a smaller shrine (Saturday), and the Rice Cake Festival (Saturday – Monday).

Today I’ll tell you about the Autumn Shrine Festival that I attended Friday afternoon with my neighbors and Saturday afternoon with two English teachers (from Canada and Idaho). Two long streets were closed off and lined with a variety of food, novelties, game booths, even booths selling fish and tiny turtles, leading away from the big shrine. By food, I mean the Japanese version of state fair food.

 

This is fried spaghetti noodles

 

Friday afternoon the festival streets were lined with students, some still in their school uniforms.  The other day I told you I thought I might be starting to blend in and not look so foreign….forget it.  I could barely take two steps without being asked (in English) How are you?  Are you from America?  I had to smile and answer their questions.  They were all so cute and so proud of their English.

 

My little neighbor was in awe of all that was going on.  I’m as tall or taller than most people here.  I can’t imagine what his view of the festival was.

 

Both days I visited the shrine and threw in the 5 yen coin and did the two clap, two bow, prayer thing. 

 

 There was a beautiful bonsai exhibit on the shrine grounds.

 

Tomorrow I’ll tell you about the second festival of the weekend.