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<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0As it was the first festival I went to in Japan, I had no idea what I was in for. We arrived at around four in the afternoon on the second day of the event. It was a balmy sunny day, the intense heat of the afternoon just easing off. Upon exiting the train station, we were halted by the immense crowd gathered along the side of the road. It seemed we had arrived at a popular viewing spot. We waited to see what would appear. Enough sandbags to fuel a civil war lined the side of the streets. We noticed an abnormal number of security personnel patrolling the roads along with a number of parked ambulances. My sempai filled me in on the details of the festival\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Fully informed, I was now ready for some prime danjiri pulling.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the next half hour, we saw two carts pass by, but they weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t traveling at a concerning speed. We decided to move our party to the food stalls and possibly a spot with more action. As is the risk of traveling in a group of visible minorities, we were pulled into the tourist information building by a group of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153helpful\u00e2\u20ac\u009d middle aged women. It soon became apparent that they wanted a photograph of foreign people in happi coats. We were more interested in nourishing our stomachs, but their insistence was overwhelming. The whole ordeal took about twenty minutes; I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think we would have been able to escape without first being photographed. We were finally sent away with a number of pamphlets, maps, and complimentary rope head bands to make room for the next group of tourists.<\/p>\n With the party in full swing and the evening festivities just beginning, behind us a cloud of impending doom slowly approached. The sky started to fall, and so ended the adventure of my first festival in Japan. My Kishiwada Danjiri matsuri was short and sweet, but unforgettable.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Split over two weekends, the festival takes place each year on the Saturday and Sunday before the Respect for the Aged<\/i> national holiday. This year the first, and more famous weekend, will be the 14th<\/sup> and 15th<\/sup> of September, followed by part two on the 12th<\/sup> and 13th<\/sup> of October.\u00c2\u00a0 If the festival is rained off, like last year, it is often rescheduled for the following day.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Paige Ngo<\/p>\n<\/a>The Kishiwada Danjiri matsuri is the most famous of the Danjiri (cart pulling) festivals. Like the majority of festivals, this ritual started out as a prayer to the Shinto gods for a good harvest. The Kishiwada Danjiri matsuri\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s carts are maintained and carried by the various guilds of each region in Osaka. Each guild is attired in matching happi coats and headbands, girls wear their hair in elaborate braids and the carts themselves are carved with gorgeous ornate patterns. For an idea of scale, the wooden carts are too big to fit into a Japanese apartment. Whereas there are some danjiri festivals where the carts are slowly walked to their point of destination, the Kishiwada Danjiri matsuri is known for the exciting speed at which they pull the carts.. In true Osaka style, Kishiwada Danjiri matsuri carts are hauled at top speed; with Daiku-gata (carpenters) hopping and cheering on the carts\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 roofs, often resulting in fallen carts and injuries. The abundance of ambulances makes sense. Crashes happen often enough that shop owners can even buy special danjiri insurance for their buildings.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>We then found an intersection where a large number of carts were passing through. The excitement built up in a linear relation to the swelling crowds. Drums were beaten, unique guild cheers chanted, and accompanying pipe players let out a cheerful melody. None of the carts tipped over, but the lithe acrobatics of the Daiku-gata on the carts were suitably awe inspiring.<\/p>\n<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0 \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n