Every Sunday at 7.30am I meet my friend at our local station and go
for an Exploration Jog. It's a great way to discover new parts of the
city (Meguro ward, Tokyo), and also helps get us in shape for next
year's Tokyo Marathon.
This morning, whilst jogging down the Meguro River, we came across the
longest queue I've ever seen! It went on forever, starting just
outside a sports ground, winding along the river for a good 500m, then
across a bridge and all the way back down the other side!
Why were they queuing? The sign in the photo gives you a clue - it's a
fish festival! The Sanma Matsuri is held every year in Naka Meguro,
and basically involves hundreds of people cooking fish, and giving it
away for free to the thousands of people in the queue!
I wonder how long the people at the front of the queue had been there
for? Had they camped overnight? Was it really worth the wait for a
couple of free fish?
There's a joke that says that in Japan if people see a queue, they'll
join the back without even know what the queue is for! I think it's
maybe half-true.
Is queuing like this common in other countries? What's the longest
you've ever queued for, and was it worth the wait?
(the sign says "Sanma matsuri - Saikoubi", meaning 'end of the line')
