We’ve been documenting our experience moving to Japan, obtaining residency, and starting a business. But this is my first attempt to just share a cultural experience. Please enjoy a brief look at our neighborhood’s ‘danjiri matsuri’. After two weeks of preparation for the annual autumn festival, the event lasts two days.
Our community has been so welcoming, encouraging us to join in. One of the reasons I’ve been hesitant to photograph or film public events here is that I want to respect people’s privacy. So I did my best to capture the festival with this in mind, trying to avoid people’s faces whenever possible, trying to only film festival participants. Also, I was conscious to not over-shoot. So the photo gallery is small, and the video is a little sporadic, but I hope it captures some of the essence.
Our YouTube video, showing our experience observing the Kamiura-cho Danjiri Matsuri neighborhood festival ⌄
For two weeks leading up to the festival, the neighborhood was a buzz with excitement. Everyone was working in their yards to get everything even more beautiful; mowing, edging, trimming. The neighborhood was really looking fabulous. Also, the different groups participating in the festival had practice. For two hours each night, the children, youth, and adults, all gather to drum and dance, practicing the choreography. Our house is situated right in the middle of two practice areas! So we got to enjoy music from both directions.
The first day of the event began at sunrise, as all the groups gathered at a large open area just outside our front gate! From there, the groups would parade to different locations throughout the neighborhood. The walked by our house many times a day, drumming and singing. It was all interesting to observe. Bosco and Ponkan were very interested!
It’s my understanding that anyone can join the parades. We were invited to one event, where they performed a special dragon dance, which (I think) is considered a blessing or good fortune for the year. In return, the host served cold tea and 50 bowls of a special cold ramen. It was a very hot day!
The end of the second festival day culminates with all the groups coming together, and lots of activity. Many dances are being performed at once, and overlapping drum sounds come from all directions. Many people from the community gather to watch. The large wooden ‘danjiri’ are pulled, lifted, and carried, while the crowd sings along to the songs.
This golden item has been brought down from the mountaintop shrine, and is also carried around, apparently overseeing the festival. As the dancing comes to a close, those who remain follow the glowing lanterns through the darkness to the mountain and the long stairway leading to the shrine on top.
At the mountaintop shrine, one last dance is performed, before the golden item is returned to the shrine chamber.
At the end of the night, the activity had has slowed nearly to a whisper at the mountaintop shrine. The remaining festival participants descend back down the long flight of stairs. The festival comes to a close for another year.
After the event, I shared my small photo gallery with our neighbors, who were more appreciative than anticipated. We’ve been invited by some to take more pictures next year, and encouraged to be active participants. We look forward to another year on Ōmishima!
One of the locations in the festival video is our neighbor’s new restaurant, Tamaya, which is opening soon! You may remember her renovation from our previous video. Her carpenter is also from our neighborhood, and is the person performing the dragon dance in the festival video. If you’re planning to stay at our guesthouse, Tamaya is only a short walk up the hill, and her cooking is amazing ⌄
Thank you to JJ Walsh with Seek Sustainable Japan for coming to visit from Hiroshima! Check out her YouTube channel, which focuses on Japan, sustainability, and tourism. She made a series of YouTube Shorts during the festival. Here’s one of our previous videos with JJ ⌄
Thanks for reading,
Dani & Evan
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