So, no floats this year. But they did have the festival stalls, which are conveniently located along a street that has covered walkways ^^ I decided to go, even in the rain, to see old friends and, more importantly, the call of taiyaki was just too strong...
Taiyaki is the most fantastic festival food I have discovered. And there are a LOT of fantastic festival foods. There's this misconception that all Japanese food is healthy, but these events are the proof that this is just not so. Karaage (fried chicken), giant baked potatoes covered in butter, yakisoba, takoyaki (balls of fried dough with bits of octopus inside, quite tasty!), crepes (yes, the Japanese have fully embraced this feature of French culture and taken it WAY beyond anything I ever saw in Paris), chocolate-covered bananas and strawberries, okonomiyaki (sort of a fried mish-mash of noodles and toppings that vaguely resembles a pizza), various kabobs, some delicious pita sandwiches, frozen chocolate-covered fruit, ice cream ... the list goes on. and on. and on. ^^
But, the best is taiyaki. Which is a fish-shaped cake filled with any number of delicious fillings, usually azuki (red bean) paste. (wikipedia link)
This year I found a shop selling miniature tayiaki, that you could buy as sets ranging in size from "little delicious" to "whole-world delicious" (^o^) I got a "little delicious" variety set, filled with tiny surprises of custard, chocolate pudding, green-tea, and of course, azuki. Which is my favorite.
Welcome festival season! My stomach and I look forward to enjoying you ^^
