Goryoukaku matsuri

The Japanese in the background really round out this pic.

That hat.

When Bill asked me if I'd be interested in joining a parade I wasn't really aware of what was in store for me...

It commemorates the arrival of Admiral Perry's black ships, which with their superior firepower effectively forced the insular Japanese to open up their ports to international trade. Strange thing to celebrate, but I figured it could be good for a laugh.

First suprise was being asked to put on an American uniform. The second was that I was the only one to sport the coolest hat design ever. The third was when I was given a huge and bastard heavy flag. The fourth was that when we actually joined the parade (late, had to run to catch up) I was directed further and further forward until I realised there was no-one walking in front of me anymore... I was heading a parade of hundreds and hundreds of precisely drilled Japanese all got up in meiji era uniforms.

The whole thing ended with lots of sword waving and cannon firing in the park, and beers back at the tower. Most excellent.