Matsuri and my First Trip to Japan

Laura remembers a brief encounter with a kind elderly couple during matsuri in Asakusa.

In 2013, I visited Japan for the first time. It was fortunate for me that during my time there, there was a large matsuri taking place in Asakusa. Being my first time in Japan, everything had been a bit of a culture shock so far, though completely thrilling, and the matsuri was no exception. It’s almost 10 years later, but I still remember how warm it was that day and the atmosphere buzzing with the sound from the food stalls. It was difficult to decide what to eat, but I chose takoyaki – one of my all-time favourite Japanese street foods.

My fondest memory though, and perhaps not the most conventional, is an elderly couple I met in one of the stores. I have a large tattoo on my right arm, something I had worried about having on show in Japan, but I was pleased to find people wanting to talk to me about it during the festival. The reaction I got from the elderly couple was heart-warming, they seemed genuinely interested in me and were eager to introduce me to another man in the store, who they tell me was a kabuki actor. They even insisted I have a photo taken with him, which I still have (but am too embarrassed to share here..). So, perhaps not a matsuri story as such, but a brief moment in Japan that I will always remember.