神輿

The Kanji reads: Mikoshi - Which is a mobile shrine.

In Shintoism, shrines contain the spirits of deities, just as I stated about Yasukuni shrine.
Around this time, the Mikoshi is taken from storage in what is called a Kura; it's kept there when it isn't needed. Year round, the Kura acts as a small shrine for when a quick prayer is needed. Mikoshi's are carried by 20+ men/women to large shrines.

The Mikoshi is gorgeous, it's decked out in solid gold and has patterns with like tigers and stuff, this one had three phoenixes on the top. By the way, this thing weighs roughly a ton. 

Before the carrying begins, a prayer is said, then everybody in the proper attire claps a rhythm similar to what you would hear at a baseball game; then a loud "SA!" is said, then everybody in unison hoists the 2X4's that support the Mikoshi onto their shoulders and prepare for a loooooong march. Since the Mikoshi is so heavy, we all had to move slowly. We basically soultrain'd for three hours with a ton on our shoulders, parading around neighborhoods, and getting praise from the locals (which in my opinion was the best part [there was an old man who we woke up, and he came out of his house and started clapping... awesome]). As we moved, we chanted "Sora, Doccoi" repeatedly and waved the Mikoshi from side to side.　In Shintoism, can't stay quiet, gotta be active XD.

We had to climb up a hill, at the top, we took a short break and had some tea and beer. A lot of the carriers were local residents of the neighborhood, and since this area is home to many English speakers, alot of them knew a little English, which is fine because my Japanese is not as good as it once was. Everyone of these dudes was awesome, they liked MMA, art, and well... since I told them I was from Seattle, I got many dudes saying "WAAA! MARINERS! ICHIRO! STARBUCKS!" I get that all the time! So I'm used to it. We continued onward to the shrine, everyone started to sound like they'd lost their second wind, so I started shouting "HA!!" instead of "Sora" to boost their egos a little bit. We made it to the Shrine after 2 hours of carrying that thing.

This ritual is said to bring conscientiousness, and from what I've seen, it brings supreme joy to those who observe it's presence. It felt so awesome spreading that kind of joy to the people of this awesome country.      

We reached the shrine, three other Mikoshis met up with us and a Shinto priest came out and blessed the Mikoshis, as well the carriers. Then, I'm not quite sure what rank these guys were, but they came out and sang a prayer in old Japanese. A guy asked me, "Are you tired? Do you give up?" I smiled, raised my fist and said, "kakattekoi! (bring it on)" He laughed at patted me on the back. We then carried the Mikoshi back to the kura, chanting, and full of extreme spirits, and the day was as hot as hell.

                                                             

That didn't stop me even the least bit; if I can do Muay Thai combos for an hour straight, this should've been a cakewalk right?

When we returned back to the Kura, which was convieniently just outside of TUJ, we drank lots of beer and sake, as well as nomming on this awesome stew that contains daikon, onions, and sweet potatoes. We all yakked it up with the locals, who are some of the coolest guys I've ever met. They all wanted to hear about America, and why we all chose to go to Japan for college.

Kenji and I

All in all, it was a great experience. I had an awesome time carrying that thing as well as getting to know the roots of Shintoism and Japan in General. I must've sweated off 10 pounds and got a scab on my shoulder as well as a torn up tabi (the shoes we wore). Some say that if you get an injury from carrying a mikoshi, it means you don't have enough faith, while others say that they're a sign of good luck. I firmly believe that they're good luck.

These are just a few of the Mikoshi crew: From Top to Bottom, Left to Right: Nitta-san, Kenji, (I never caught his name but I regret that because he was an awesome guy), Napol from Thailand, Yudi, TOKYO ROE, Adrian from Hawaii, (another :'( ), Michelle from Vermont, Stephanie, and Walter from LA. and Courtney (not pictured)

When we finished, I knew that some college students think that like, "Oh, it's a done deal, we never have to see each other again." Bullshit that is. I knew we'd done something awesome, we would have to keep that spirit of comradery alive. So we decided that each time we pass by each other, we'd tap our shoulders in memory of what we did on this day.

If any readers want to see more pics, I have lots more, thanks to Suzuki-san.

Masaru, Kenji, Everybody I met from that day, I want all of you to know that no matter where I am in the world, how down or sick I am, I would gladly drop everything in order to carry the Mikoshi with you guys again!

Oh yeah, do you want to know how crazy I am? I'm doing it again this weekend!!!!!!!! This time for 

the village I live in.