Festivals

October is a month of fruits, readings, sports, art, and — more than those — festivals. There were various kinds of festivals in Kiba Park, which was close to my house. The biggest one was the Koto Kumin Matsuri festival from the 16th through the 17th of October.

It was the third time for me to see this festival, so there was nothing new in it. Everything was almost the same as usual. All I did there were to eat Indian foods bought from stalls inside the park and to watch a performance by Vivace, a marching band consisting of only female employees of ALSOK, a Japanese security company.

In the same days, there was a festival by the students of the University of the Sacred Heart, which had been built in the former residence of Empress Dowager Nagako, the previous Emperor Hirohito’s wife. This university is for women only, so it’s usually closed to people other than the students of it, except on special days like the festival. I wanted to get inside the university because I wanted to see the historical houses inside, such as the former house of Nagako and the chapel of the university. During the festival, the university was open to the public, so it was one of the perfect chances to see them, which wouldn’t come so many times.

After seeing the Koto Kumin Matsuri, I went to Hiroo to see the festival of the University of the Sacred Heart called Seishinsai. I took the subway to Shibuya and there I took a bus to Japan Red Cross Medical Center, where I got off the bus, and I had a gate of the university. After the ID check at the gate, I got inside and walked along the path for several minutes then I had the Palace, the former house of the Prince Kuninomiya, where his daughter Nagako had been raised and lived until she had married the previous Emperor Hirohito.

The Palace

The Kuni House, the site of the main entrance of the Palace, where Empress Nagako departed to the Imperial Palace at her wedding.

The Marian Hall, an auditorium of USH. The Latin phrase on the top made me feel it was gorgeous.

The chapel, used daily for masses and prayers. An alumna of USH can use it for her wedding.

The interior of the chapel, where the student choir practised singing. I heard their sounds reflected in multiple directions on the round ceiling and resonated fantastically. I admired its gimmick of construction for helping Catholics feel God’s Power.

Besides, there was an open-air stage, stalls selling foods and goods, and many kinds of events and amusements during the festival, but I left in haste because there were such young and bright boys and girls that a middle-aged man like me couldn’t stay any longer 🙂