Yokota celebrates Tanabata Festival with local community

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Jacob N. Bailey
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  The steady beat of drums welcomed Airmen and residents from Yokota as they attended Fussa City's 62nd Annual Tanabata Festival Aug. 3.

Approximately 80 Team Yokota Airmen participated in the ceremonial opening parade, taking turns as they carried a "mikoshi," a portable Shinto shrine, on their shoulders through the streets of Fussa.

The Japanese tradition of carrying a mikoshi dates back to as early as the eighth century, and it is a longstanding belief that transporting the shrine will bring about good fortune.

According to Dr. John Treiber, historian for the 374th Airlift Wing, Yokota's involvement in the Tanabata Festival dates back more than 50 years.

"As early as 1958, Yokotans were going to the Tanabata Festival in Fussa. The earliest proof I have of Americans carrying the mikoshi is 1975," said Treiber.

Although the shrine weighs nearly a ton, Yokota's Airmen were up for the challenge as they carried the mikoshi a half mile through Fussa's city center. Airmen rotated duties through a coordinated effort to keep fresh legs under the shrine as it was transported. A crowd lined the city street and cheered them on as they passed.

"The crowd was great," said Tech. Sgt. Joe Brockman, an emergency manager from the 374th Civil Engineer Squadron. "They definitely helped keep our motivation and energy up."

Airmen cooled off with refreshments afterward and enjoyed Japanese cuisine from various food stands.

The three-day festival also featured traditional Minyo Odori folk dancers and an animated procession of costumed characters such as dragons, foxes and monkeys.

For some of the Airmen, it was their first opportunity to experience a Japanese cultural event.

"It was invigorating to experience another culture like this firsthand," said Senior Airman Michael Jones, a technician assigned to the 374th Medical Surgical Squadron. "Carrying the mikoshi was a good workout, too."