The Gods Must Be Crazy

There are times I don't understand Japanese sensibilities. Today was one of those times. There was a car show at the foot of Futaarayama Shrine. It was not an ordinary car show, but rather an anime car show. There were about twenty cars all together, each painted with comic book characters. I'm not sure if the characters were actual comic book characters or if they were the creations of car owners. Obviously a lot of care and detail went into each and every paint job. In addition to the cars, the owners were dressed in costume. They had my pity as it was a beastly hot day. As is usually the case, these type of events attract a lot of people who are into this sort of thing. The cosplay crowd was out in force. There were the girls in frilly dresses and guys in anime/comic book costumes. They would pose and people would take pictures. There was a stage with girls dressed in school uniform-ish attire singing J-pop, probably something from the AKB48 repertoire. It all seemed fairly silly and innocuous. In a sense, it reminded me of how peaceful things are here. All innocent fun without a trace of irony. At least to the participants. I understood why it was on shrine premises: all events that need space are held there. It just seemed slightly...sacrilegious. It's my mid-20th century upbringing rearing its ugly head perhaps. I'll post some pics. You decide.here.