Happy Columbus Day America, and happy Health and Sports Day Japan!
Another passing weekend has brought another new experience to me that I will never forget. This weekend, I went to the Michinoku Yosakoi Matsuri (みちのくよさこいまつり, or Michinoku Yosakoi Festival). The event details that I found online basically said "Spectators will be entranced by the dancers who have added their own dynamic movements into their dance and are attired in unique costumes", and I have to say, they were right!
The best way for me to describe these dances are as mesmerizing chaotic, colorful, and exciting performances. The stage and streets flurry with the constant movement of colors and the clacks of their naruko as each team switches between costumes mid-stride and awestruck me with a visual and auditory spectacle.
There are no words that can describe the spectacle of Yosakoi to its full extent, so I will instead post pictures and videos in the coming days.
All this excitement aside, this experience made me think about how I find so much fun in traveling abroad. I do not simply attempt to experience their daily lives, but also what is special for the people here as well. This Yosakoi matsuri was an example of that. I didn't know what to expect from such a simple description of a dance, but was absolutely blown away by the energy and spectacle of the event.