Two Fish, One Fish

I woke up this morning to the sad fact that my orange fish had died. Goodbye nameless fish number one. Ganbatte nameless fish number two.

Despite my grief, I went out to watch the festival parade. (pictures forthcoming) It is not so much a parade, as a procession. The Omikoshi (portable shrine) is carried around the town so that the kami can bless the area. This particular shrine is known for its especially good water, and in this sake producing town, good water is key. So I think many of the participants had connections to sake brewing. I could be wrong, though. Either way, it was a nice small-town festival.

Today must have been a good day for festivals, because on my way to Arashiyama with some friends our bus was stopped for a half an hour by another Omikoshi. This one was near Saiin in Kyoto. We finally got frustrated with the wait, and got off the bus. This gave us a better view of the festival, but a much longer walk to Arashiyama. A somewhat futile walk, in fact, when we arrived to find out that the wild monkeys had gone away for the fall and we wouldn't be able to see them. Sigh.