When you look at the Tanabata decorations in the shopping district, they all look the same(sorry), but when you learn that each shop displays their own decorations in front of each shop, your perspective changes. The results of contest are indicated unobtrusively beside each decoration.
By the way, a famous person signed a streamer for Tanabata decorations, so it seems that there was an event to find it, but the person who found it would definitely tear it off, so I thought the game wouldn’t work.
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tanabata6 gold
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Recently, sparrow dances have been incorporated into festivals and contests have also been held. After all, decorations alone lack excitement, so it has changed to a participatory festival. By the way, the sparrow is also the family crest of the Date family of the Sendai clan.
An important tool in Hanagasa Dance is a hat decorated with flowers. The flower is safflower, and it was very valuable in the Edo period as a raw material for dyes and lipsticks. ”Beautiful flowers have thorns.” It was said that the hands of the young women who hand-picked them were dyed red with thorns. Please refer to safflower stories in Yamagata at the botton below.
Go to safflower stories
Go back to the festival, many teams that make up the parade show off their unique dances from in traditional and elegant style to in brave and dynamic style. Television news programs often show dances in an elegant style, but in contrast to folk music, the force of moving the hanagasa hats violently in dynamic style cannot be conveyed unless you come to the site. My impression was that elegant dance and dynamic dance in the parade were half and half. Original dances were occasionally seen. Each team consists of communities, schools, and workplaces, and each of them appeals their own characteristics in their dance.
yamagata5 miss Yamagata
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yamagata3 soba
It is held on the long main street at night. So, no need to keep a viewing spot in advance. Please enjoy Yamagata soba in between viewings. Yamagata Prefecture ranks first in the consumption ranking of soba. Please refer to soba stories in Yamagata at the botton below.
Go to white flower of buckwheat and soba storiesGo back to itinerary
Akita is a rice-produching region. Kanto lanterns shining in the night sky represent a bountiful harvest of rice in coming Autumn and praying for an end of epidemics like that Gion Festival in Kyoto prays. It is interesting that many festivals both in Japan and abroad, now and in the past, are held to pray for the warding off of epidemics.
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akita kanto8 music
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The kanto hand over the pillars to the next person while adding a piece of pillars, showing an exquisitely balanced pose each time. The completed kanto reaches 12 meters high and weighs 50 kilograms, and the pillars are largely bent. “The boughs that bear most hang lowest.” This really embodies the proverb.
akita kanto7 a child who take out something decoration when the pose is decided
If you want to see Kanto at night, you should reserve a seat in the front row of the median on the main street. It is so powerful that the lanterns collapsing in front of you.
Discover a genius boy mixed with adults! As soon as he strikes an exquisitely balanced pose, he pulls out various projectiles such as fans from his chest and enjoys everyone around him.
During the daytime, the festival holds competition to compete in techniques to support the Kanto in various positions(one hand, forehead, sholder, waist !). Even at night, you should look down, not up.
akita competition2 judge
akita competition9 next players waiting
akita competition3 penalty if the foot is out of circle
akita competition4 experts only move their heels
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akita competition7 change position each 30sec
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akita competition8 change music also each 30sec
akita competition11 curve max
akita competition12 at least break
Let me briefly explain the rules. use only one hand. Do not go beyond the 6m diameter circle. Change technique according to the signal (every 30 seconds). If playing an instrument, change the tune. In my opinion, good athletes keep their balance by slightly shifting their heels. If you can’t afford to stay overnight in Akita, I recommend you watching the daytime competition.
Lotus flower (Junsai is one of familly) around Akita Castle
Detour
Make sure you have something to eat in advance for a long enjoying. There is a market near the station where you can eat rock oysters from the Oga Peninsula. You can also choose Akita’s famous sake from the list pasted on all over the wall. The fact that “junsai” can be eaten with sake is proof that the water is delicious. “Inaniwa udon” (Japanese noodles), which is eaten in the middle of summer, cools down to the core and releases the summer heat.
During craft balloon festival people return from urban to reunite with family. Their wishes drawn on the balloons by themselves will come true with craft balloon lift-up. People including tourists participated releasing balloons. It was a fantastic moment !
craft balloon releasing
Many balloons stay in the night sky and eventually disappear into the mountains.
What will happen to the balloon blown away at last ? “Maybe falling in the deep mountains”, local people said.
*) Caution
It was too cold not to stay venue long time.
To tell the truth, we could not participate in the tug of war because of Craft Balloon festival held on the same night, so enjoyed tranquility in advance of fight in front of ropes enshrined in the center of town.
KARIWANO is a small town. The residence are divided into 2 groups at this event and fight. Tourist participant is free but no guarantee of accident.
At the next time challenging the exciting match, I would like to make a question, “How do you ensure equality on volume of participants between 2 groups?”
There are various categories of railfans. ‘Tori-tetsu’ is a railroad photography enthusiast, ‘Nori-Tetsu’ is a ride lover, ‘Nomi-tetsu’ is a person who rides and drinks, ‘Mama-Tetsu’ is a mother who enjoy railway with her children, etc. By the way, there was a railway study group in every high school. Japanese people really like railways.
Steam Locomotive connected to Niigata revived only on Saturdays and Sundays one round trip a day. If you are ‘Tori-Tetsu’, find a suitable crossing point !
Torioi-Kannon Temple is one component of Western Pure Land.
Since no one wants to suffer when they die, the ’Korori’ Kannon faith was born. People are fine(‘pin-pin’) just before they die, and when they die, they want to die lightly(‘korori’). In Japanese, this is called pin-pin korori.
You can listen to the fun story of the monk. However, although it is in Japanese.
There are famous sculptures you should not miss in this temple. One of them is a monkey hiding from a eagle. It is said to have been made by Hidari Jingoro, a famous sculptor of the Edo period. However, it seems that there are about 100 works in the whole country, and the authenticity is unknown.
craft1 in mishima towncraft mqaterial in mishima town
A basket woven from mountain grape skin is a luxury item. It is difficult to find out good quality of skin in the mountains and it takes huge time to knit a delicate basket. Each work is tagged with the villager’s production name.
There are various other materials for the basket, and there is also a light material called Hiroro. Her Majesty the Empress Emerita visited and bought one.
It is also famous for the production of paulownia chest of drawers. It is said that paulownia was light and had a moisture-proof effect, and the chest of drawers was closed tightly, so even if it was flooded, the clothes inside did not get wet. Also, in this region, as soon as a girl is born, plant a paulownia tree and make a paulownia chest of drawers with a tree that has grown when going to the bride
There are various places to take a scenic view on the Tadami Line, but this is a must. Tadami River First Bridge !
time schdule of train passage on the bridge
Park your car at roadside rest area and walk 10min. to the viewpoint. Many photographers are on standby. Check time table of train passing on the bridge.
In late autumn, the pasting “The first product of the season appears !” is indicated at the entrance of Soba restaurant here and there. Buckwheat that bloomed small white flowers in the summer is harvested in early autumn and good scent of the first product of season comes out. Usually the locals are waiting in line for eat. Feel the fall with your tongue in the mountains.
