This weekend was the Nagoya Matsuri, or Nagoya Festival, a big celebration that honors three feudal lords who were heroes of Nagoya, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, who were instrumental in help unifying Japan. In the parades (one each on Saturday and Sunday), a different department store (Meitetsu, Maruei, and Mitsukoshi) sponsored each lord.

Of course, being a festival, there were lots of food stalls. I was trying to resist them all, but I eventually succumbed to a Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki place - 500 yen a piece.

Also of note - I showed a few of the signs for sales in honor of the Dragons’ clinching of the Central League championship. Everyone seems to be pretty excited about the Dragons this year. However, when I ask my students if they’re excited about the championship, a common reply I heard was, “Yeah, I can’t wait to check out all the sales!” So, anyways, there you go.