A proper inoshishi picture-- finally!

Yesterday, I took a day-trip out to see Himeji castle (I'll make a post on that shortly) and in mid-afternoon, I came back home. Down in the stream which separates the railway station from my neighborhood, I spotted this fellow:

Apart from garbage there's not much down there for a boar to eat, I'm afraid. I'd earlier walked-by a bunch of kids from the local high school's archery team carrying their bows under their arms; I was wondering why they hadn't used it for target practice.

I continued walking home and a few minutes away from the apartment, I heard chanting and drumming. I turned a corner and ran straight into the neighborhood shrine's danjiri procession.

There were about six or seven people inside the cart banging-away on bells and drums, with five people on top swishing paper streamers on wands (I think they're called Ōnusa, but I might be wrong on that). The guys on top are tied there with ropes so they won't fall-off.

My only reaction was: "Oh yeah. They were planning to do that today, weren't they?"