On September 13, in Shibuya there took place Shibunan Matsuri, where one of the most modern districts of Tokyo suddenly decided to live a little in the past.
Through the streets among glass facades and skyscrapers there moved traditional rickshaws, and you could ride them for free.
That is, literally:
you walk out of a building where everything looks like the year 2035,
you get into a vehicle from the century before last,
and somewhere nearby a child is dancing to a DJ set.
And no one sees any problem with that.
Nearby there was a procession of mikoshi β portable Shinto shrines, a market was running, music was playing, and a separate DJ party was arranged for the children.
The result was a district where the following exist simultaneously:
traditional Japan, a modern metropolis, and a mini-Ibiza for children.
The rickshaws looked especially wonderful.
Imagine: a person in traditional clothing carrying passengers past office towers, screens, and the city's flow.
The passenger is probably thinking:
"I'm late for a meeting in the future, but I'm getting there from the nineteenth century."
And then a procession of mikoshi passes by.
And a hundred meters further on, a DJ is playing.
And all of this in one Shibuya.
That is probably exactly why people love Japan: it knows how not to choose between the "old" and the "new."
It simply says:
"We'll take it all."
And turns it into a festival. π
