I live in Kishiwada, an hour or so south of Osaka by express train. It's a really nice town with just about everything a guy needs to get along. Every year, on September 14 and 15, the city holds the Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri. It's famous among the people that follow festivals in Japan! It has had documentaries written up about it, and frequently is covered on the national news.
What happens is that each neighborhood has its own /danjiri/, a HUGE wooden parade float that is ornately carved. It's pulled by people manning a long rope that stretches out ahead of it. It's steered by a post that sticks out the back end of it, which people will jerk left or right, until it's facing the desired direction. It doesn't have a steering axle; the wheels only go straight, so jerking the steering pole around makes the wooden wheels skid on the street. This may give you the impression that several tons of ornately carved wood are careening around populated areas, rampaging down streets lined with bystanders who could be crushed by said wood. This impression would be correct.
Which is why a lot of the shops in the shoutengai (covered market street, pedestrian-only) have their 2nd story living quarters set up with full-wall windows and mini-verandas from which to watch. It's a little safer up there.
What happens is that each neighborhood has its own /danjiri/, a HUGE wooden parade float that is ornately carved. It's pulled by people manning a long rope that stretches out ahead of it. It's steered by a post that sticks out the back end of it, which people will jerk left or right, until it's facing the desired direction. It doesn't have a steering axle; the wheels only go straight, so jerking the steering pole around makes the wooden wheels skid on the street. This may give you the impression that several tons of ornately carved wood are careening around populated areas, rampaging down streets lined with bystanders who could be crushed by said wood. This impression would be correct.
Which is why a lot of the shops in the shoutengai (covered market street, pedestrian-only) have their 2nd story living quarters set up with full-wall windows and mini-verandas from which to watch. It's a little safer up there.
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