Mizudome-no-Mai festival

A tradition started 700 years ago, the Mizudome-no-Mai (Rain-Stopping Dance) festival (matsuri) of the Gonshoji Temple, in Ota-ku, Tokyo, was one of the most pleasant summer experiences I had in Japan.

The two "dragons" photographed here, tied up in thick rice ropes, are carried through the streets of the city while getting splashed with water. The streets are echoing with the sounds made by the "dragons" by blowing large conch shells, combined with the crowd's laughter when bystanders are splashed...