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I guess it’s safe to say that everybody loves festival. Among all festivals, summer ones were always my favourite when I was kids because we can enjoy festival dance in a cute yukata outfit and enjoy watching beautiful firework. I remember it was only occasion that I was allowed to go out late in the evening when I was a kid (of course, I was still accompanied by parents and grandparents though). Regular summer festival is good, but for those people who have already been to regular ones, I would like to write about unique summer festival of Japan.

“MIKI Yoshihito” some rights reserved. flickr

First one is Gion matsuri festival at Yasaka Shrine in Ryugasaki city, Ibaraki prefecture. On the last day of the Gion matsuri festival, “Tsukumai” dance is performed. This is a very acrobatic dance of frog god to pray for good harvest, and man with frog mask dances on 14m-high (!) bar with not life line along with music by pipe and drums for 30 mins. I found you a movie of the dance, but it looks pretty high and scary even it is just for 30 mins…

Second one is Tori-zumo or bird sumo at Kamigamo Shrine. It has been believed that massive crow escorted Emperor Jinmu on his expedition, but this mythical crow is believed to be a grandfather of deity of the shrine. And chief priest imitate how crows cry like this…

It may sound a bit silly but look how serious they are!! lol According to an article, there is also a festival to find a slug crawling about a samurai’s grave stone, and this slug is believed to have a soul of his secret lover (!) when he was alive. There are many more unique festivals in Japan, so as a good story of your travel, it may be good idea to find unique festival of where you visit. You may find a hilarious one! Don’t forget that there is always a meaning in each unique festival and people believe in it though^^

What do you think about today’s article?

Please let me know about your country’s unique festival, too! I will be looking forward to hearing from you  😛

Source: web R25

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