Feasting and Festive Festivaling!

Japan- land of the festival. Since our arrival, there has been no shortage of festivals to attend. Something is always being celebrated. What an excellent way to live! At any given festival you can expect to find food, families, vendors selling handicrafts or homemade/homegrown food, and some type of entertainment be it singing, drumming, drawings for prizes, or some type of competition. We have been to a number of festivals at this point, but two stand out as the most memorable: the Beef and Garlic Festival in Takko Town and the Rokkasho Salmon Festival.

Celeb sighting!

The Beef and Garlic festival takes place in Takko Town, which grows more garlic than any other area in Japan. Naturally, the purpose of the festival is to celebrate garlic! And what goes better with garlic than beef? The people of the town invite people from all over to join them in a giant outdoor BBQ extravaganza! At the festival, each person is given a food kit that contains a significant amount of beef, garlic, veggies, and sauce. After you've retrieved your kit, you make your way to the grilling area and look for a spot to set up shop. There are about 50-100 outdoor grills set up and you can probably fit between 8-12 people around each grill. This type of set up gives people the opportunity to mingle with strangers while preparing their feasts. Eric and I wondered around the grill field trying to determine how one chooses a spot. 

We got brave and tried to stake out a space, but were then given the universal "no no" sign by one of the guys maintaining the grills. He indicated that another family had dibs (even though we had arrived first...VIPs maybe?). We continued to wander and search when all of the sudden a very jolly man waved us over to join his party. He was with a group of about 8 other people who all gave us a very warm welcome to their fire pit. They shared their food with us (even though we had plenty of our own) and challenged us to eat whole cloves of grilled garlic. We chatted with them throughout the meal- they spoke Japanese and we spoke English, and this did not seem to matter to anyone. The food was abundant and delicious and of course outdoor cooking is always a good time. After a substantial lunch, Eric and I thanked the man and his friends for their hospitality. We then took our lawn chairs and went off to find a spot to enjoy the entertainment. 

There were singers, drummers, dancers, and large plushy creatures. What more could you want? At one point, I scanned the crowd and my eyes met our jolly friend's eyes. He got excited and waved Eric and I back over to their group. We walked over and when we got there, they all jumped out of their chairs, inviting us to sit down and join them again. Eric and I ran back to retrieve our own chairs, and they moved theirs apart so we could sit right in the middle of their group. They kept calling Eric James Dean, which was pretty awesome. We didn't have the heart to tell them James Dean was dead. 

Our jolly friend :)

We sat with our new friends and continued our "conversation." While we sat, chatted, and laughed, we were treated to a garlic spitting contest. I don't think I need too elaborate on this. It was exactly what it sounds like and every bit as entertaining as you are imagining. Overall it was an amazing (and filling) day! We are already looking forward to going back next year. 

At the Rokkasho Salmon Festival, guests are invited to try to catch salmon with their bare hands out of giant wading pools stocked with huge salmon. There are three "catching times" during which about 100 people line up for a three minute chance to catch their fish....the first five people to catch a fish run over to another area where their salmon race each other across sandbags. While waiting in line, Eric was of course befriended by another very friendly Japanese man who made sure (through  hand gestures and sign language) that Eric got a prime spot by the pool and that we understood I could accompany Eric into the pool area to take pictures.

The contestants gather around the pool. They are all different ages from young children to elderly men and women. There are people in waders and people in gym shorts. There is much conversation and thought about strategy. 

Hands go up into the air and the countdown begins...10, 9, 8...it is done in both Japanese and English. Then, the clock starts, contestants jump into the pool, and three minutes of mayhem ensues. People and fish are flopping all over the place. The fish are jumping and splashing. Everyone is laughing, cheering, and smiling. The mayhem is punctuated by what can only be described as circus music. It is completely amazing. 

About a minute and half into the three minutes, Eric had caught his fish. He was completely soaked, but very happy about his victory. He said the experience was intense. He said the fish were super slippery, fast and strong. His advice to future salmon catching enthusiasts, "grab a hold, hold on, hug it and love it."

After the three minutes was up, everyone lines up again to have their fish cleaned and packed on ice. Eric decided to take ALL the parts home...and use everything.

One of the things I love and admire about Eric is that he completely throws himself into all experiences. When he decides to do something, he is 100% dedicated to it. When we got home with our fish, he got right to cleaning it up and preparing it for various meals. He saved parts for soup stock, prepared filets for grilling and freezing, and cleaned and brined the roe. That night for dinner we had fresh salmon on the grill. It was amazing! 

The next night we had salmon head soup...I was very leery of this idea, but by the time the soup made it to my bowl, there was no salmon head floating in there, just pieces of tender and delicious salmon cheek. YUM. Plus, who can complain about being cooked for two nights in a roe? Hahaha, get it?

Okay, I'm done :)