Making music in the breeze

While I'm pretty much always game for a festival, some are more enticing than others.  At this time of year, there are a lot of festivals to choose from, so people have a lot of options.  My husband is really good about reading various periodicals, websites, and signs around town to keep our schedule full of fun activities.  He did this in Seattle as well, so it really isn't anything new for us.  We actually have a special online calendar that is dedicated to potential activities.  Since we don't have a big yard to take care of, friends or family to visit (we see most of our friends here during the week), or organized sports commitments, we are able to do a lot of random activities. 

Today's mission - head back to Kawagoe to the wind chime festival!  Each summer, Hikawa Shrine displays hundreds of beautiful glass wind chimes from early July to early September.  Typically festivals last for a weekend or maybe a week, but this festival goes for 2 months!  Known as the love shrine, it brings good luck to people looking for someone to share their life with.  The wind chime festival is sometimes referred to as "wind chimes for matchmaking," but attracts more than just those yearning for a life partner. 

Although we are happily married, we wanted to see the wind chimes because the whole idea of them sounds beautiful.  We rode the train to Kawagoe station, but instead of hoofing it like we normally do, we purchased an all day bus pass for the loop line.  That way we weren't overexerting ourselves in the 99°F temperatures. 

The bus ride to Hikawa Shrine doesn't take very long (less than 10 minutes).  As soon as we arrived, we were all in awe.  The wind chimes were so beautiful.  They were even better than we had imagined.  The chimes were hanging from arbors all around the shrine grounds.  Some were collections of colored glass, while others were clear. 

There was also an arbor filled with Ema, the wooden wish plaques. 

Even though it was Saturday, the crowds were not too bad.  I'm sure it is because of the heat.  Over 300,000 visitors come to see the wind chimes during the 2 months.  After visiting, I completely understand why.  For those looking for true love, they can purchase a wind catcher (the wooden tag hanging at the end of the string to make the chime make music) and write a wish on it.  They can pick a wind chime in the shrine and add their wish.  So, some of the chimes had several wind catchers attached to it.

The wind chime festival was magical.  I can still hear the soft ringing of all the chimes in the wind.  I would venture to say we will be back again.