Japan is a colorful place. One thinks of vermilion red, indigo blue, saffron orange, as well as the more stark parchment white and sumi-e black. But there are also the acidic, shockingly loud and completely unnatural colors of Japan, like what I found at a matsuri (festival) on the grounds of Gokōnomiya-jinja in Fushimi. I was fascinated by the riot of color there juxtaposed against the sober and serene wood and stone of the ancient shrine. The Japanese families there didn't notice. This ultra-vivid display of color was as normal to them as the simple red and white of their national flag. They wandered through the maze of yatai (stalls) eating and drinking and playing games, never giving it a thought.
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