Last Sunday a friend of mine took me to a local shrine’s summer festival, a new opportunity to meet the neighborhood! It was a small festival, where the neighborhood association prepares food and drinks for cheap prices, and there was some entertainment as well: First a taiko band (Japanese War Drums), then Hawaiian Dance (yes, I found this a bit odd too, but it was nice), and finally, when the evening got a bit later, the perennial Japanese pastime: Karaoke. We left at this point, but it was fun, mostly because my friend knew a lot of people there.
I always enjoy going to the things that are not geared towards tourists. People are friendly and forthcoming as ever, but it’s just this little private charm that makes all the difference.