Shopping Guide
You remember the anime Lucky Star 1 that broadcast in Japan in 2007 and reached overnight domination with the opening song “Motteke! Sailor Fuku,” don’t you? For argument’s sake, I’m sure no one would be surprised if you answered “No.” After all, there are roughly 100 new anime broadcast every year, and we are talking about an anime that broadcast six years ago, so it’s not unreasonable to assume that many people may not remember.
However, the people of Washimiya 2, the setting of Lucky Star, fondly remember this work even now. What can even be called a symbol of this is the Hajisai festival that is held here annually. One purpose of this festival is for people to parade through the town carrying a mikoshi (portable shrine) to be offered at the Washinomiya Shrine, which is considered to be the oldest shrine in a Tokyo suburb.
In 2008, an entirely new mikoshi was created for this tradition-rich festival, and it just so happens to be themed after Lucky Star. Being a drastic change from traditional mikoshi that are gold and ornate, this mikoshi is covered on all sides will illustrations of characters from Lucky Star. It can surely be said that this mikoshi was created for the benefit of otaku. This unique mikoshi has been used by the people of Washimiya during the festival every year since 2008, carried on their shoulders together with a traditional mikoshi.
Recently, the Hajisai season swept through Washimiya once again. On Sept. 1, the Lucky Star mikoshi made its sixth appearance at Hajisai. On that day, the weather was unfortunately stormy with frequent rogue thunderstorms which interrupted the festivities several times. The day carried on under such inclement weather and finally it was time for the carrying of the Lucky Star mikoshi.
In the midst of a light rain, the area around the shrine was wrapped in a peculiar enthusiasm. Beginning with an enthusiastic yell from the men carrying the Lucky Star mikoshi, it slowly began to move. A boy playing the role of the Lucky Star character Minoru Shiraishi rode atop the mikoshi, and the men carrying it began calling out "Konata! Konata!” over a marching song being played on a flute. The main characters’ names also resounded through the city as people chanted. It was a scene that would set any fan’s heart ablaze.
Regardless of the bad weather, 73,000 people, 1,000 more than last year, visited Washimiya for this year’s Hajisai. The people of Washimiya’s enthusiasm for Lucky Star, which hasn’t waned over the last six years, grabbed hold of the many otaku in attendance and didn’t let go. It can be said that Hajisai is a successful example of unifying traditional culture and otaku culture, and for that reason, we tip our hats to the people of Washimiya.
^1^ Lucky Star depicts the laid-back everyday lives of otaku high schooler Izumi Konata and those around her. The original work is a Japanese 4-koma manga by Kagami Yoshimizu. In addition to the anime, there are also games and light novels based on the original work.
^2^ For administrative purposes, Washimiya City (which no longer exists due to the consolidation of smaller municipalities that are now collectively known as Kuki) and Washinomiya Shrine have different names even though they both use the same kanji.
This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article.
