On April 20, the second day of the Hida Furukawa Festival, the weather was warm and beautiful, reminiscent of early summer. Last night, the next day, when I was enthusiastic about the "Kishi Taiko" of Motion, I saw Shizuru's "stall procession" and found out...
On the second day, we started with a walk around the suburbs
(First part +) The next morning, when I returned to the town of Furukawa around 10 o'clock, I felt more local from yesterday's experience. At the beginning of the second day, Mr. Ishihara of the Hida City Town Development and Tourism Division attended us, and we went to see the children's Kinzo lions held at the annual festival of Kifune Shrine in the neighboring town. At an intersection with a good view a little away from the center of Furukawa, elementary school students are dancing a lion dance. I stayed for about 30 minutes until the dance was over, but I was surrounded by my family and neighbors watching over me, and the warm atmosphere was comfortable.
After that, you can use the Makiseisha I stopped at a famous milk shop and had a soft-serve ice cream for the first time in a long time. Ice cream is something I eat only once a year, so I could only describe it as rich and delicious, but I was glad that the two people who accompanied me were happy to say, "Hmmm, it's delicious."
Next, I would like to talk about the " Hida Naosoyana "Yokono-roadside station Alp Hida Furukawa will open on April 22nd" Ko Yoriaisho Hida Furukawa Shokudo Before the opening, I was allowed to sample the signature Hida local dish "Kei-chan and Ton-chan". A while ago, I was watching "Kei-chan and Ton-chan" at Lonely Gourmet and wanted to eat it. The meat soaked in the special sauce is exquisite and the rice progresses. It's the one that makes me want to eat it when I remember it.
Is the end of the festival the beginning?
My stomach was filled with "Kei-chan and Ton-chan", but on the second day, I started to worry about the stalls and queues that I hadn't seen yet. Remembering yesterday and thinking that the festival will end in a few hours, I feel sad. If you're a local, you'll be even more lonely. When I asked Mr. Ishihara, "Wouldn't you be sad that the festival is almost over?" he replied, "No, I don't!" "When the festival is over, spring will come to Hida, and next year's festival will begin!" he replies with a big smile. It was a surprising reply, but I understood it and replied, "It sounds like Furukawa is with the festival all year round," and he replied, "I think the locals do!" Others say, "We had a good festival," and "I'm looking forward to next year." Travelers will end their festival and trip today with the lingering reverberation of the shocking kishi drums. Locals, on the other hand, seem to have a sense that when the festival ends, the festival begins.
A variety of performances are fun to tow
In the afternoon, when I returned to the town of Furukawa, I saw gorgeous food stalls lined up and performances were held, and it was crowded everywhere. As you approach each crowd, you will see a karakuri offering and a lion dance to the flutes of children. The children's kabuki performance, which had enthralled tourists visiting Japan, was even more imposing than yesterday.
During the festival, the town of Furukawa is full of life. As you walk through the narrow alleys, there is a crowd and some kind of performance is going on, which is fun.
The festival is coming to an end. At the end of this festival tour, I will wait at the festival square to watch the final procession back to the Ketawakamiya Shrine. The square is full of like-minded tourists. The shadeless square was hot and summer-like, and I waited for nearly 30 minutes while drinking canned beer, but there was no line.
The square is about 5 minutes to the station, but the train to Toyama Station departs in 20 minutes. I could see the procession in the distance, but it seemed to take a long time to get to the square. So, I moved to the railroad crossing near the station where the procession proceeded after leaving the square, and when I saw the procession, I came up with the idea of going to the station, so I moved there. At the end of the road where the procession progressed, there were mountains centered on Mt. Anho, which overlooked the town of Furukawa. If you can capture this scenery and procession, it would be a fitting finale to the festival.
Furukawa Festival confirms the bonds of the community
As the departure time of the train approached, the head of the procession leaving the festival square was approaching. I was surprised by the length of the queue that came after this. It felt like about 1km.
Finally, when I saw this procession, I was surprised that so many people were involved in the Furukawa Festival, and I admired the organization. During my stay, I talked to a number of people from Furukawa, but I often heard about the people who support the festival rather than about the festival being an important cultural property or UNESCO.
The Furukawa Festival is a place to confirm the depth of the bonds between the communities through the annual festival, and I wonder if tourists are watching the scene.
The people walking in the procession have a refreshing look on their faces. At that moment, the horn at the level crossing began to sound, the procession stopped, and the train crossed. Mr. Ishihara said, "This is the train I was supposed to take!" After that, I watched the procession for a while, bowed, and then headed to the station.
On the way back, take the "from below" route
The train via Toyama Station requires a 2-hour wait, but the train via Nagoya Station comes in 20 minutes. For the first time, I decided to go home from the bottom. I slept most of the way to Nagoya Station, and then transferred to the Tokaido Shinkansen with sleepy eyes. I keenly realized that if it was a trip to get home, it would be better to wait two hours from Hida to Tokyo.
In the car, I saw the news reporting the first day of the Furukawa Festival. "The festival was held on a reduced scale," it reported. However, as a first-time participant, I don't know how to scale it down. If that's the case, what would a full-spec festival look like? I'm getting more and more interested.
