Uh, this bring back memories! I'm living in Japan for two years, for my studies, and last year I participated in a traditional event here in Kitakyushu, and helped carry a Mikoshi on my shoulders for the Kokura Gion Matsuri. It was incredibly fun, but also freaking heavy and tiring. That Mikoshi is soo heavy, and even with like 30-35 people exchanging continuously, carrying it for 3-4 hours of parade (with different stops) was still very tiring, in particular because we did it on July so under the sun. I did it again this year too, because it is an incredible memory and experience. Luckily this year was raining a bit, so less sun and more refreshing. But still freaking heavy. My shouders were suffering for 3-4 days, after the event And, unfortunately, even if we had traditional cloathing, no fundoshi and no girls in fundoshi T_T