What time is it? It's party time...

Calling all Japanese: party in Kagawa!

Monday was a holiday. Like most holidays here, I'm not sure what it was for, but enjoyed the day off work nonetheless.
Amberlyn and I had just gotten back from a single adult conference at Goshikidai and had been home for a while when I decided that I needed to stretch my legs and go for a walk.

So, I coerced my lovely roommate into going for a walk around our little Kanonji mainstreet area, in the direction of some loud music/noise that we couldn't make out very well.

And this is what we found -- a full parade down the main street with a big stage/festival area complete with street vendors selling hotdogs at the end. It was great -- Amberlyn and I just sat on the curb and watched in our gaijin stupor. We got lots of nods and smiles from performers, and after meeting a few of them who spoke a little English, found out that the performers were from all over Japan. Our friends in the first picture were from a city north of Hiroshima. We met a few others from Okayama and surrounding.
Whilst dancing around like idiots, Amberlyn and I were found by Jonas and Ryoma, along with his wife and kid. Although I was mildly embarrased, (sometimes I'm just genki here because I know I can get away with it all the time.) we kept jumping around and scored some free noise makers and bells from people walking by and eventually ended up in the middle of an oh-so-japanesey dance at the end of the street. Three performers were teaching the crowd a dance when the lights went out, fireworks lit up the stage and 30 men in red fudoshi made their way onto the stage. (Fudoshi: thong speedo loincloth set. You really should do a google picture search.) The did a manly dance and then hoisted big wooden platforms onto their shoulders and took them out into the crowd. The other picture at the top is one of a guy and his baby riding on the platform these guys were carrying. Amberlyn and I, who were pretty close, found ourselves invited to be hoisted up and down around the street. Yes. I. Was carried princess-style on the backs of scantily clad Japanese men.
I don't think it gets much better than this.