Gujo Hachiman Bon Odori

Last Saturday Damien and I got to see one of the most famous festivals in Japan. It was in the incredibly picturesque mountain town of Gujo Hachiman about an hour and 15 minutes by train from where we live. It celebrates the summer Obon time. Obon is the period in August when it is believed that the spirits of dead ansectors return home for a brief visit. Neighborhood dancing and music is a lively part of this tradition. Gujo's festival is particulary famous because for 4 nights there is dancing all night long. I was a little apprehensive about staying up all night and coming back on the early morning train, but it was worth it. The dancing started around 8pm. A small traditional stage was set up in the middle of a narrow street and as soon as the music started everyone immediately created lines of dancers on either side of the narrow street and started dancing. The lines made a big circle that periodically changed direction depending on which dance was on.
The music consisted of a few shamisen players, some drums and 2 male singers. The music was eerie and the dancing was fun. It only took a few minutes of watching to see what the movements were. We danced off and on until 3:30 in the morning.
When we weren't dancing we were walking around the neighborhood watching people enjoy the night and looking at the colorful yukata (traditional summer robe) and geta (wooden shoes) that most people were wearing. I finally was brave enough to eat yaki ayu. I had seen it for years at festivals. That is a whole sweetfish speared on a stick and slowly grilled over hot coals. I wasn't sure about eating the whole skeleton and everything but the vendor said it was okay. Gujo is famous for the wild ayu caught in the river. It was pretty good!