After a refreshing single hour of sleep on Friday night, I headed off on the epic trek across town to return to the high school I'd visited at the end of last year. This time it was to help the Japanese students prepare for their return trip to London. I have to say being called 'Greg Sensei' was more than a little bit strange, but possibly something I could get used to... Anybody who has seen 'Battle Royale' would find it fairly odd being confronted with a room full of Japanese students. As it was, nobody seemed to need the island-fight-to-the-death treatment, although they weren't necessarily as well behaved as you might expect.
Then back to Shimokitazawa where there was a festival being held, dedicated to the Tengu, one of the many mythical creatures of Japanese folklore (and as usual standing somewhere ambiguously between good and evil). This involved a large parade and, in celebration of Setsubun (the official first day of Spring), being pelted with beans.
Photos are here, and the blessing of technology may even allow you to watch a couple of videos of the taiko drumming performances from the festival (sorry for the terrible camerawork, hope they give a sense of the occasion):
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