Won't Miss #519 - fundoshi

These type, super thin shorts have replaced fundoshi for many modern participants in festivals, and the audience members are grateful.

Fundoshi are the thongs that men sometimes wear in rituals or festivals in Japan. They amount to a thong made from twisted cloth. They tend to be worn by men who have been around the track a few times and are closer to retirement age than university graduation age. Need I really say more about why this is something I won't particularly miss?

Well, actually, I should say more because, as someone who saw her share of robust, hairy, and even spotty behinds as a sumo fan, you'd think I'd be less squeamish about this. However, sumo is a context in which I'm comfortable seeing men in thongs. Public places and normal people wearing them is not one of those contexts. My first experience with seeing this public exposure was watching men in the summer hauling a mikoshi down the street. It dampened my ardor for further such festivities. Fortunately, future mikoshi hauling was done with less revealing attire, at least as far as I saw.

I won't miss seeing men wearing fundoshi.

Incidentally, what sumo wrestlers wear is called a mawashi and is made of silk. 

Will Miss #444 - Koenji Awaodori

A poster for the Koenji Awaodori festival, which takes place in the sweatiest time of year.

Now that I no longer live in Japan and have to worry less about overtly revealing my location, I can say that I used to live midway between Asagaya and Koenji. For those who never lived in Japan, that means nothing, but it would have been a juicy nugget for my stalkers. Though honestly, I'm sure any attentive nut job who hated me but couldn't stop obsessing on my words and personal information could have gleaned such information from photos if nothing else. Getting back to the point, however, this was a great location in Tokyo to live. Both Asagaya and Koenji were fantastic places to live for a plethora of reasons and, if I ever live in Japan again, I'd consider living there again.

Besides the incredible shopping, great atmosphere, and convenient location, both Asagaya and Koenji had notable festivals. For Asagaya, it was the deliciously tacky and overblown tanabata festival. For Koenji, it was the far less tacky and monumentally popular awaodori festival which features traditional dancers, taiko drumming, and about a million visitors (literally).

The Koenji awaodori is an awesome event that provides a window into traditional culture and offers a level of exposure to the energy and enthusiasm of Japanese people that is usually absent in everyday life, and I will miss it.

Will Miss #276 - Asagaya Tanabata Festival

Every year, the Asagaya Tanabata festival takes place in my neighborhood and I complain about it. I complain because the crowds are annoying and get in my way when I need to do my regular grocery shopping or get to the local JR station. It always takes place when it's insanely hot. It is crass and merely a way for merchants to draw in a ton of people and make more money. I complain, but then I always take a bunch of pictures (many of which get used in my blogs) and think that there are a lot of cool and interesting aspects to it. The huge papier mache figures that adorn the street are deliciously ostentatious and impressive in their stature and the effort that went into them.

I think I've come to take the festival for granted, and I'm going to miss it when I'm no longer here.

Will Miss #131 - festival turtles

Every summer when festivals are in full swing, there are several games or vendors who have large tubs full of tiny turtles for kids to buy or win in games. While I know you can buy little turtles in pet shops nearly everywhere around the world, there is something unique about seeing large masses of them swimming around while casually strolling around a festival. They're so cute that it almost, but not quite, makes me want to start a tiny turtle farm of my own.

I'll miss seeing these big tubs of turtles every summer.

Will Miss #111 - Avic electronic monsters

Every year at the local tanabata festival, Sony's Avic electronics shop sets up a very large electronic monstrosity. These monsters move and make sounds. Kids always freak out at them and people's responses to them are always interesting to watch.


I'll miss seeing these electronic creatures (and wondering what they'll do next year), and watching people interact with them.

Won't Miss #37 - massively crowded festivals

Every year, there are a couple of big festivals in my neighborhood. The street becomes so densely packed that my students, who travel this street to reach my apartment, are late for lessons. While I'm not troubled by this, it's no fun at all for them. Navigating the street when the festivals are on is difficult and frustrating. It's also noisy and hot.

I won't miss this tendency to cram about a bazillion people into a narrow space for the sake of festival money-making.