Ra-se-ra
Simone and I were able to catch the Nebuta Festival in Aomori after I cunningly got some paperwork leave in the city. The sun was out, people were dressing up in fancy clotheseys, and I bought Simone a pair of Ninja stylee boots for her birthday. Which she tried on in the park while I read out of The Big Issue. I made these boys put on their hats for this photo. "Put on your hats!!" I said. Nebuta is a twist on the local word for sleepy, and is meant to wake up the sleepy souls watching. It was super. Got interviewed for the Asahi Shinbun (national newspaper) and they printed my name in the next day's issue.
Yessss.