End of summer
Festivities make summers a little more bearable
I've lived my whole life in hot places, but Tokyo summers are HOT. Every year, I feel like July and August are a blur either because I'm indoors a lot more or I'm constantly mildly heat stroked that it's just a daze.
In these magma sauna summers, I am thankful for this culture's dedication to seasons. Summers here are a time to celebrate matsuri summer festivals, which pop up around July-September.
One of my favorite things at a festival is watching the kids be free. These events provide yet another third place environment where even really young kids are free to roam safely. It's a rare chance for them to be able to hang out unsupervised with their friends and coexist independently amongst adults.
And then there's the matsuri glam. I'm constantly awed by people's commitment. Parents will dress their young ones in the cutest yukatas and the coolest hairdos, teens will show up in a group dress code theme, people will spend money and time to go out to get their hair and nails specially done. Both men and women will roll in looking the part, magma sauna weather completely ignored.
Sadly, I've never been a costume girl. At every school spirit day, dress up party, Halloween function...I've always been that person with "kind of" a costume that shows some effort but it 's clear my comfort was more important. I'll also admit that young me had that classic, but unexplainable, teen embarrassment of "being too enthusiastic about something."
Who and what put me on this path of thinking it is silly to be deeply involved and into things?!?! It's so silly, and just a sad way of living. It took years for me to shake this mindset off.
I think it's expected and normal for this generation to be less into dressing up for stuff. But, whenever I see younger adults putting way more effort than I would ever, I do feel inspired to try to get more "into" it. Effort for enthusiasm keeps culture alive.
There are a lot of complaints anyone could easily throw out at a matsuri.
Everyone knows the food is mediocre, overpriced, and probably bad for you.
Walking in yukata and zouri sandals is not comfortable.
There are always so, so many people.
It is really hot and sweaty.
but
Even the too cool for school kids show up to hang out.
95 year old grandpa and 5 year old granddaughter can participate together.
It is free to be there.
Local businesses give financial support, which comes full circle to bring energy and investment back into the area.
People from completely different social ecosystems can share a space. (Maybe I will write a followup to this).
I know a lot of people like matsuris for the japany vibes. But beyond the vibes, I think there's a lot to appreciate about the social health it brings. It helps bridge generations, blur the lines of social hierarchy, and offers an occasion for more-than-usual expressiveness. It's like an ice breaker for regular life. We all could use more ice breakers in life.
Cooling off,
claire
