Yosakoi Matsuri is a festival created in 1954 in Kochi Japan. It is a dance competition that has been replicated throughout the country, resulting in many Yosakoi Matsuri. The style dance named Yosakoi is a highly energetic dance performed by teams of men and women, paining traditional Japanese dance movements and with modern music.
Hikarigaoka's version of Yosakoi Matsuri has teams of dancers dancing up and down the main thoroughfares of the park, and lots of food stands in the main square.
We stopped by the festival last night for a quick peek and was greeted with an incredible crowd of people. The festival goers were so thick that we could barely walk in some areas. The smells of festival foods were enticing, but we didn't partake because we didn't want to stand in the long lines! The only exception was buying a candy dipped apricot for my son. The vendor was dipping various types of dried fruit into soft-ball candy and placing it in a huge block of ice to quickly cool it. Children, including my son, love this festival treat.
 |
| Another popular treat - drinks in lightbulbs and IV bags! |
 |
| Lots of people in yukata - traditional summer kimono. |
Today we popped by much earlier to see some of the dancing. We were very entertained by all the dancers. There was a lot of energy in the air as group after group performed. The festival lasted for 3 days and the dancing did not stop.
It wasn't like any other festival I have attended in Japan. There really wasn't a historical connection of any kind. I'm so used to festivals being tied to holidays or Buddhist or Shinto traditions. This one was purely one of celebration and fun. I enjoyed it very much.
No comments:
Post a Comment