オマツリThe Festival

About this story

Two old ladies discuss festival attire and struggle to stay awake.

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Source

This text comes from Aozora Bunko (青空文庫), the volunteer-run library of Japanese writing that is out of copyright. See this work on Aozora Bunko

Base edition (底本): 「日本児童文学大系　第二六巻」ほるぷ出版
1978（昭和53）年11月30日初刷発行

Typed in by 菅野朋子. Proofread by noriko saito.

Yomimaru has edited this text for modern readers. Its Aozora Bunko card has the text as the volunteers entered it.

The furigana are Yomimaru's. In the app it is split into 2 parts.

What you'll learn

On a warm autumn day, Kameko visits Maruko to discuss what to wear for the upcoming festival. As they talk, they both get sleepy and eventually fall asleep until evening. They wake up laughing, unsure who fell asleep first.

Key vocabulary

ポカポカ	warm and pleasant
ウツラウツラ	drowsily, dozing off
ノソリノソリ	slowly, sluggishly
オマツリ	festival
キモノ	kimono, traditional Japanese clothing

Grammar points you'll meet

• ～ています N5Indicates ongoing state or action. Here: シテヰマス (shiteimasu) = 'are doing'.

  イケノカメサンタチモ　ウツラ　ウツラト　ヒナタボツコヲ　シテヰマス。

• ～のです N3Adds explanatory or emphatic nuance. 'It is that...'

  チヨツト　ソウダンシタイコトガ　アツタノデス。

• ～ながら N3While doing an action. ガマンシテモ (endurance) + ながら omitted? Actually: ハンブン　ヰネムリナガラ = 'while half asleep'.

  フタリハ　ハンブン　ヰネムリナガラ、ソレデモ　ハナシヲ　ツヅケテヰマス。

• ～てしまう N4Completes an action, often with a nuance of regret or finality. ネムリコンデシマヒマシタ = 'ended up falling asleep'.

  ヤガテ　グツスリ　ネムリコンデ　シマヒマシタ。

Cultural notes

• Japanese Festivals (お祭り)Local festivals are common in Japan, often featuring traditional clothing like kimonos. People carefully choose what to wear for these events.
• Historical Kana UsageThe text uses historical kana orthography, e.g., ヰ for modern い. This was common before the 1946 spelling reform.

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