If Tokyo was the working city, Kyoto was our party town.
The gang hit Kyoto in time for the big festival days of Gion Matsuri, and yes this IS that famous Kyoto festival with the street food tents, pop-up sale stalls, and the infamous goldfish catching game (of which I caught three before the paper broke!)
During the day we went out to observe the Gion Matsuri parade, I happened to notice a stall selling hand-painted paper fans, and after a quick chat, found out the artist, Eiichi Tonomura pictured above, had a whole studio set up to display his works and the works of his apprentice. When we went up to check out the art, there was also a viewing area set up for the Gion parade, and we ended up chatting with friends and family there for the event. Definitely beat being out in the heat of the crowd! The next night, we hit the fest dressed to impress.
The history of Gion dates way back to 869AD with the intention of the festival to appease the gods during flu-season, the massive Yamaboko (floats) used in the celebration are dedicated to anything from a bountiful harvest, to a particularly poignant Noh play. It’s quite a sight to see 50+ men hauling 10+ ton wooden floats made without metal nails. And while this culture and history injection was all well and good, when I come to Japan I have only one goal: Sing with the locals.
Amazingly enough, we didn’t end up here first while trawling Pontocho for a good karaoke bar, it was a sign for venison sausages noticed by Heather that pulled us into Beer Bar Miyama 162. We enjoyed a good brew and brat before asking the owner if he had a karaoke set up. He didn’t, but his sister’s bar less than a block away did! And as he led us there I was shocked to discover that THIS was the karaoke bar I’d come across almost 4 years earlier!
After calling our new friend to my left in the above video “Jason Stathem”, the rest of his cadre were laughing in disbelief while he preened at the compliment. This gang of 4 weren’t originally there at Beer Bar Miyama 38 when we began singing, they came in after one of the other patrons texted about a gang of Americans in yukata singing Japanese songs that they had to come in and party with.
And party they did.
They chose Daydream Believer by the Monkees and Evangelion’s Cruel Angel’s Thesis, I answered with Dragonball’s Head Cha La and Sailing Day by Bump of Chicken, and this went back and forth all night until about 0200 when everyone’s voices gave out to Vanessa Carlton and Nobuyoshi Koshibe.
While private box karaoke is considered the true Japanese experience by “““the experts”””, I find that the real fun lies with finding the local hang out and making new friends on the fly.
