Waraji and Tanabata Festivals!

This weekend there are tons of festivals going on in Fukushima. This past Friday was the Waraji Festival where men pull a huge traditional sandle around town. There were also some traditional dances at night, and of course the streets were full of stands selling all kinds of festival foods. Popular foods are roasted corn, shaved ice, yaki soba, tako yaki, and cotton candy!

Yesterday was the beginning of the Tanabata Festival too, so there were tons of shooting star decorations everywhere. Because of all the festivals, we got to wear our yukatas to work on Saturday. I bought one a few weeks ago, but never had the chance to wear it. Mitsuko taught me how to put it on, adjust the length, and tie the obi. It was a lot of fun wearing around, and much cooler than my usual suit.

Tonight I'll go to Sendai to see their Tanabata celebrations. Sendai is famous for their festival, so it should be pretty interesting to see. I'll post more pictures then, but enjoy the ones of Fukushima for now!