A neighbourhood festival invitation
Your host family in a small town near Sendai invites you to the neighbourhood summer festival on Saturday. The invitation says the local shrine carries a portable shrine (mikoshi) through the streets from 5 pm, and the family's grandfather is one of the carriers. Dinner will be at the community hall afterwards, and everyone is expected to bring a plate. You have never attended a Japanese festival, you are vegetarian, and you are worried about not knowing what to do. The family's mother says you do not need to help with the mikoshi but you should come to the dinner. You have 1,500 yen and one free afternoon on Friday to prepare.
1. What should you bring to the dinner, and how would you check that it suits the occasion?
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The safest contribution is something shareable, clearly labelled, and easy to eat standing up. With 1,500 yen you could buy ingredients for a large container of vegetable gyoza or a simple cucumber and sesame salad, or buy a box of fruit or wagashi from a local shop. Because you are vegetarian, bringing a dish you can eat guarantees you are not stuck with nothing. Checking with the family matters: a short message such as 土曜日の晩ごはんに何か持っていきたいのですが、何がいいですか。それから、私はベジタリアンなので、肉や魚が入っていないものがいいです。 would confirm both what is welcome and whether the dish needs to be labelled with ingredients, which is polite when others may have allergies. Ask whether the hall has plates and serving spoons so you do not arrive with something nobody can serve.
2. How should you behave at the mikoshi procession if you are not carrying it?
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Your role is to watch respectfully and stay out of the carriers' path. Stand to the side, keep your phone out of the way unless you ask first, and follow the family's lead rather than photographing the shrine itself without permission. The grandfather is carrying, so a simple がんばってください or a wave when he passes is appropriate; do not touch the mikoshi unless invited. At the dinner, wait to be shown where to sit, say いただきます before eating, and offer to help serve or clear plates, since the mother invited you to the dinner rather than the procession. If you are unsure, mirror what the younger family members do and ask the mother quietly rather than guessing loudly.