The streets of Amami village were littered with men and women, boys and girls, children, all dressed in the traditional Osaka attire.
They all held brightly lit lanterns, and chanted an age-old ode, in respect of the fallen heroes of Japan, in slow procession.
Chochin Mairi is an annual ritual held in Amami, to celebrate Japanese Civilization, so inhabitants of the neighboring village poured into Amami in their numbers for the celebration.
Ava, Luke and Riku mingled with the crowd, Riku holding up a lantern and chanting along. Ava and Luke just observed, enthralled by the solemnity of the slow procession.
Mama-Sam had refused to go with them, insisting that she was too old for gatherings like that. She'd joked about being trampled upon in a crowd of buoyant and vibrant youths
