Matsuri in Hitachinaka City

"Matsuri" is a traditional Japanese Festival mostly praying for good harvest. There are so many Matsuris in Japan, and almost every city or town has its own Matsuri. The well-known Matsuris are Gion-Matsuri and Aoi-Matsuri in Kyoto, Danjiri-Matsuri in Osaka, Nebuta-Matsuri in Aomori, Tanabata-Matsuri in Sendai, etc. Those are the pictures of the Katsuta Matsuri held at Hitachinaka City. It was a small and local Matsuri, but we enjoyed it all the day.

Matsuri was held in the car free zone which was set to the center of the city.

The special vehicle "Dashi" was pulled around the car free zone.

Some traditional dancers and players were on the Dashi vehicle.

A few persons were on the cieling.

A dancer with a traditional mask was dancing on the front stage of Dashi vehicle.

Several boys and girls were playing Taiko drums on the central stage. Usually, there was another person who played a japanese traditional flute, Yokobue.

There was another Dashi vehicle pulled by another Matsuri Group.

On the stage of the Dashi vehicle, they also played several Taiko drums and a Yokobue flute.

Another different Dashi vehicle.

Two big Taiko drums.

There were many festival stalls at the both sides of the road.

Festival stalls looked like them.

Ohban-yaki was somewhat like a hot cake with some sweet Azuki paste inside.

Tako-yaki was a small wheat ball with a few pieces of octopus chips.

Another Tako-yaki shop selling bigger wheat balls.

Frankfurter sausage stuck in a chopstick with some mustard and ketchup sauce.

Chicken or beef stuck in a skewer.

Apple candy.

Shaved ice with some sweet sauce.

Cotton candy.

Kingyo-sukui game. A game of scooping goldfish with a paper scoop from a water tank.

4.October.2003 by Shotaro