August 22, 2010
My Trip to the Konbinri
I got off the train last night after two days of train bumbling and realized I was out of both clean clothes AND laundry detergent. So I went down to the Lawsons 100 across the highway. As I approached I noted a great hue and cry from behind the convenience store and dozens of women in kimonos were heading into an adjoining alley.
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The property behind the Lawsons actually opens into the rear of a shrine I had noted earlier while figuring out how to get to the guest house from Yotsugi station.
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Last night however it was much livelier and every bit of space was being put to good use.
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The pictures are not the best as I disabled the flash on the Blackberry out of courtesy. I was the only westerner present and there was no other flash photography happening, I was also concerned I might dazle the drummers on the tower who were in tight, highly elevated quarters.
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Not pictured..the very loud drum music and singing.
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...and the smells of all the fried and shaved ice concessions.
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Most everyone in traditional garb danced around the dais in a sort of konga line.
One interesting thing I noted as I left, there is this shed next to the Lawsons with a chrysanthemum emblem and red spinny lights kind of like on a police box, but it is always locked. Last night it was opened and I found out what it was.
It's a little fire station manned by the local VFD, just to deal with the potential of a fire during a shrine festival.
It contains a hand operated fire truck cart.
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The moral of the story? ALWAYS bring a camera anywhere you go around here as even a trip to a convenience store can become something really cool....or, as in Lilly's case, something entirely 'other'.
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The pictures are not the best as I disabled the flash on the Blackberry out of courtesy. I was the only westerner present and there was no other flash photography happening, I was also concerned I might dazle the drummers on the tower who were in tight, highly elevated quarters.

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...and the smells of all the fried and shaved ice concessions.
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One interesting thing I noted as I left, there is this shed next to the Lawsons with a chrysanthemum emblem and red spinny lights kind of like on a police box, but it is always locked. Last night it was opened and I found out what it was.
It's a little fire station manned by the local VFD, just to deal with the potential of a fire during a shrine festival.
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The moral of the story? ALWAYS bring a camera anywhere you go around here as even a trip to a convenience store can become something really cool....or, as in Lilly's case, something entirely 'other'.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
09:41 AM
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