Wake-up calls

Religious procession waiting for a green light right outside my window.

Part of the Hokkaido Shrine festival is that most of the shrines and temples in the city take their gods on trips all over the city. Some use large carriages hauled by people on foot or drawn by cars, and others use palanquins. Then they make large processions going from one shrine or temple to another, all over town. This is accompanied by music and dancing.

Drums, flutes, wooden blocks to bang against each other, and other traditional instruments are used to make people  aware of the procession (even if you happened to be trying to sleep).

I have a temple right outside my window, and every morning there was at least one procession coming or going much earlier than I had planned to get up... The flutes and drums wake you up even if you are sleepy.

Woman dancing.

They also bring special staffs to lift the electrical cables hanging across the streets, so the tall religious carts can pass underneath.