One new addition to this year's army was a group with firearms.They even fired them off a few times later on. I regard samurai carrying guns as blasphemy despite that fact that it actually happened.
The three Japanese amigos. You might notice that their armor is way super cooler than the stuff I wore. Well, for unknown reasons the cost of doing the parade went from zero to about $150. You get what you pay for, I suppose.Walking in the parade is usually reserved for the new English teachers, but I had so much fun last year that I asked a few months ago if it was possible to do it again. I'm glad that I didn't walk though. Seeing the ridiculously large smiles on the guys' faces reminded me of what a special time it was for me. It wouldn't be as awesome the second time. Good memories.
Speaking of memories, the Ashikaga news letter for February is sporting a picture of last year's event, featuring the mug of yours truly.Last weekend I went to Tokyo and gallivanted with some friends. A large group of us spent a sizable amount of time at an izakaya(Japanese version of a bar and grill). Our bill made it over the 30,000 yen mark, which is where the store is forced to add a revenue tax stamp to our receipt.
I never spend this much money in one spot, so this is the first time I've acquired one of these.
It does seem wrong a samurai carrying a firearm. But, even though the samurai existed until the 1870's, they were using firearms as early as the mid 1500s. The first firearms they used were called arquebuses and I believe they were obtained from the Portuguese.
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