So how was the actual procession you say? Well, other than being tiring and the fact that we were being cooked a little because of the unseasonably warm day, the actual distance covered is not so much. That’s of course complicated by the weather conditions, the weight, and the aforementioned traffic jams among other things but by no means are you expected to carry the whole distance in one go. Far from it – you get about 15-30 minute breaks every 10 minutes or so where you can grab as many helpings of cold tea as you want. You also get served lemon slices which people eat including the skin (something that was new to me) and are surprisingly refreshing under the hot sun.
The final destination is the big temple which lies close to Akihabara. In fact, we passed through streets of the same. The big temple at the end of the road was completely filled up to the brim with people. Of course this meant more traffic jams. We (all the carriers) also managed to attract lots of attention at this point with photographers flanking both sides of the road. Normally they were not allowed in the road but we did have one blonde guy really getting in the faces of carriers, taking pictures from inches away as people were grunting, trying to carry the portable shrine. A policeman finally got him to the side of the road but he was back pretty quickly.
Next, the inside of the shrine…
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