Tokiwadai Matsuri

Tokiwadai’s matsuri no longer takes place in the dangerous midsummer heat, but its shift into late September has created a new problem because that period overlaps with the height of Japan’s typhoon activity, leaving the festival exposed to sudden storms, unstable forecasts and frequent cancellations even though the original heat risk has been avoided.

Across Japan, many small community matsuri have made similar moves away from July and August to protect participants from extreme temperatures, only to find themselves squeezed into a narrow late‑September window that is increasingly dominated by typhoons, creating a nationwide pattern where festivals escape heat but face a different kind of climate disruption.

Anyway, here are a few photos taken between two drops. I love this matsuri: mostly local shops, restaurants and people selling reasonably priced food. I have noticed a recent increase in outright scams with overpriced bad food, a small sign that Japan is changing in ways you can feel most clearly at these neighborhood festivals.