One of the sadder moments of living abroad is when you realise that Guy Fawkes Night is pretty much an exclusively British event. I'd been complaining about the lack of fireworks when I heard of the Taimatsu Akashi, or the Sukagawa Fire Festival, which takes place a mere week after Bonfire Night.
In 1589, the castle of Sukagawa was burnt to the ground by Date Masamune. Now every year the people of Sukagawa commemorate the loss of life by building 7 feet tall pillars and setting them on fire. It's an amazing sight- the fires look incredible and frightening, but the locals seem fairly relaxed about the huge fire they start every year in the town centre.
This year, the weather was not kind. It was completely bucketing it down. Although we got completely soaked to the bone (as part of our grim determination to not put up an umbrella and block the view of the people behind us), the Samegawans cheerfully informed us that the rain was a good thing as it causes the fires to burn more slowly and the show to last longer. To be fair, there's nothing like standing next to a towering inferno to keep you warm on a drizzly night. And, as my friend so rightly pointed out, it feels more like Bonfire Night back home if it's tipping it down.
The festival stalls |
However, when it was time to leave, I was glad of all the hot festival food that I could nibble on to warm up. So I picked up one of my favourites- doriyaki. These pancake sandwiches are common place in Japan, and I grabbed one traditional red bean filling and one custard filling. Red Bean is unbelievably popular here, making even the most simple snacks a little more interesting.
It may not have been Guy Fawkes Night, but it was a pretty incredible alternative.
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