Carrying on tradition together: USAG Japan leadership joins local festival
Photo By Noriko Kudo |
U.S. Army Garrison Japan Commander Col. Erik Davis, right, and Command Sgt. Maj. Rick......read moreread more
Photo By Noriko Kudo | U.S. Army Garrison Japan Commander Col. Erik Davis, right, and Command Sgt. Maj. Rick Meeker, center, participate in the Kamimizo summer festival July 26 near Camp Zama. Together with Sagamihara Mayor Kentaro Motomura, left, and local residents, Davis and Meeker helped carry a “mikoshi” — a portable Shinto shrine — and took part in the parade. see less
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Carrying on tradition together: USAG Japan leadership joins local festival
SAGAMIHARA, Japan – The commander and command sergeant major of U.S. Army Garrison Japan participated in a festival here near Camp Zama July 26, experiencing a unique aspect of their host country’s culture.
The Kamimizo summer festival is a celebration with a proud tradition and history dating back to the late 1800s.
The centerpiece of the event is when traditional “mikoshi” — portable Shinto shrines passed down through generations — gather from various neighborhoods to parade through the town streets.
Together with the mayor of the city of Sagamihara and residents, Col. Erik Davis and Command Sgt. Rick Meeker helped carry the mikoshi and took part in the parade.
“It was a great experience to participate in the local customs and attend this festival,” Meeker said. “All of the people I interacted with were awesome, and I really enjoyed the event.”
Meeker added that these types of events help bring the communities of Sagamihara and Camp Zama together, much like the Army installation’s open-post events do.
“The locals see the garrison command team participating in their festivals alongside their leadership and it lets them know that we are a team working together to strengthen a partnership built over many years,” Meeker said.
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