Day 2 found us in Kesennuma, in the northeast reaches of Miyagi Prefecture. How would it stack up against Natori?

Not. Well.

The day started off well enough. We set off early snaking our way through the backroads of Miyagi, and arrived with plenty of time to spare. Tony (my co-worker) and I developed a good system, well good for me at least. I would always drive to the festivals, and he would always drive back, allowing me to drink my face off.

Anyways, we arrived early and got some primo parking at the designated event parking area. The guys manning the lot were nice enough and they gave us some maps and recommended some places to watch the fireworks from. Things were looking good.

The festival area snaked all around Kesennuma’s harbour. At one end were all the food and drink stalls; at the other was the Taiko (drum) demonstration area. It was maybe one kilometer from one end to the other, and we strolled around, checking things out and looking for a good place for the fireworks.

We ended up choosing the top of the fish market, where there was a giant empty parking lot. It was at the other end of the festival area though, so we trudged back through the crowds. By the time we got there it had filled up quite a bit, but we still found a good spot to sit. Here’s where the trouble began. Soon after we set up, this East Indian family flew in on their magic carpet and plunked down right in front of us, full of screaming babies and annoying kids. To boot, they decided to sit on little chairs, so I now had these fucking heads in all of my shots. Everyone else is sitting on the ground, SIT THE FUCK DOWN LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. The mother was completely ignoring her screaming baby, as if its shrieking was somehow a benefit to society.

Answer this equation for me: Screaming Baby + ________ = Good Times.

I can’t think of anything that fills in the blank. Thankfully it stopped, or maybe I went completely deaf, I can’t remember.

The fireworks ended up sucking anyways; just like Onagawa there was no wind to blow away the smoke. If you’re in the neighbourhood next year, don’t bother with this one. Head up to Kitakami in Iwate Prefecture instead, which is where we went the very next day…

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