I'd Rather Be...In Japan

Festival Food

A quick tour of the usual kinds of food stalls you'll find at a fair or festival in Japan.

Roller slide

I went down a roller slide in chiba during the winter break and nearly ran over Kazu. It's a fun kind of slide.

Wild Boar

We recently went downtown to have wild boar. The boar is served in a nabe, or hot pot, with miso and veggies. It's very tasty, but a bit expensive at around $30.00 per person.

Fire Festival in Hirata

On Wednesday we went to Hirata in southern Gifu Prefecture to see a fire festival. The folks in Hirata spend the weeks leading up to the festival working on bamboo floats, or mikoshi. During the festival they carry the floats down the street and into a plaza.

Guys in makeup and mostly drunk, dance around the floats and set them ablaze. The flames engulf the floats and the heat is intense. Then the guys run around, pushing the floats over and having a good time. It's fun to watch, and like most festivals in Japan, there is plenty of vendor food. I'll post a short video of the vendor food soon.