Musashi-Koganei Matsuri

Last night, I went to some little bar in Musashi-Koganei with my host mom and a few of her friends. For a while, we were the only people in the place. There was a matsuri (festival/parade) in the area the same night, and my host mother wanted to show me a matsuri because I wouldn't be able to see the massive one in Aomori later this August.

The streets were crowded. The parade was huge, with tons of dancing and shamisen and taiko and flutes and kids running around in yukata holding bags of kingyo they caught from the games. So cool! I wish my camera's battery hadn't have died during it. It made me want to take up playing taiko. I think I'm going to do it.

When the parade was over, we headed back to the bar where it was pretty much filled up. There was a karaoke machine, so we could sing in front of people we didn't even know. A drunk salaryman serenaded me with an enka song (lol I don't think he knew I was not Japanese) but he had a good voice and kept blowing kisses at my host mom and her friends. Later, I sang Ladybird Girl by the pillows. :)

Today I'm going to see Yuriko. We're gonna do karaoke and eat yaki-nikku.