Little Mardi Gras in Matsue.

Later that evening, I found my sipping sake under a full moon on the balcony of the Matsue Kyodokan, a grand, Meiji-era imperial guest house turned local history museum that sits in the shadow of Matsue Castle, overlooking the city.  It was the venue for the welcome reception or kangeikai for the New Orleans TOMODACHIs and the proceeding municipal gift exchange with Matsue Mayor, Matsuura Masataka. Part pomp, part romp, the event was an opportunity for us to get better acquainted with the broader network of the Matsue hosting community as well as introduce our group to them officially. Families from the area taking part in a lantern festival or “suitoro” on the grounds were streaming in and out of the museum, their laughter and warm conversations coating the brisk evening air. As they moved farther away, they became shadows whose silhouettes ambled across the amber hues of the lanterns in front of me, creating a twinkling effect that matched the electric floods of the city below, and the eternal flicker of the stars above.