"Festival at Tagata shrine"

"Festival at Tagata shrine" March 21, 2005 Japanese version is available.

I went to Tagata shrine to see a festival at Aichi prefecture. Sometime peopele call it "Strange festival". It is not only very famous in Japan but also in world wide. I'd like to write brief report here.

Tagata shrine

We can go to Tagata shrine by train from Nagoya statin in about 1 hour. The name of the station is "Tagata jinjya mae eki". It means "In front of Tagata shrine". You won't miss it.

"Tagata jinjya mae eki" station is small.

There was a street shop in front of the station. They had chocolates, rice crackers, candies, key rings and so on. Most of goods relate to the festival.

Candy?

Another shop. These are wooden handicrafts but the shape are little strange... Do not enlarge this picture. It might be dangerous!

As I got close to the shrine, I found many people who were going to same place. You can see various kinds of people, families, couples and foreigners. This festival is well-known all over the world.

Here I arrived.

This is Tagata shrine's gate.

Mikoshi (sacred palanquin for Japanese festival) procession that is the highlight of this festival starts from Kumanosha (Another building of Tagata shrine. About 500m away.) then arrive at main hall of Tagata shrine. A god image on the Mikoshi will be dedicated in the hall.

The time was too early to see it so I walked around in Tagata shrine first.

Wooden arrow for happiness. This is Shinto religion style.

Main hall of Tagata shrine. There is last year's god image inside the building.

Place for prayer. Something strange?

Place for prayer. Don't care about the bar.

Place for prayer. Mr. two balls.
There is a slit between two balls for coin donation. You can read how to pray on the stone plate. It is explained as Haiku (Japanese poem). Here is the explanation.

Rub the balls. Put a coin. You'll hear "Chin".

You'll hear metallic noise like "Chin" after you put a coin. "Chin chin" means "dick" in Japanese. How elegant it is!

She is eating a grilled corn. This is a usual Japanese festival scene. But I almost imagine something else...

It's time to start the Mikoshi procession. I went to Kumanosha to see it.

Head of the procession. It just started from Kumanosha.

Women are carrying something with brilliant smile.

The procession goes on like this. We can have free Sake.

As you can see the car equips brake bar on the back. The old man said "We should have the brake bar on the front of car next year!".

Several minutes later, here comes the Mikoshi. People looks more excited.

That's "it". God image on the Mikoshi. Sometime bearers spin it like a top.

It is made from wood. Are there any models?

　This procession take one and half hour to arrive at Tagata shrine. It is very slow.

This is a tail of procession. Policemen are watching it.

He is trying to make her have it (for good luck). She has another bar in her left hand.

It bobs up between people. This situation is unusual but it fits in well with this scene. So natural.

It is very popular and looks familiar. If there were a real one, no one may recognize it.

Finally procession arrived at Tagata shrine.

There is a couple in love in front of great picture. You can find something dark at the root.

They are waiting for the arrival of Mikoshi at main hall.

It's going into the the main hall.

It finished. See you next year. It was still spinning in the hall. I'd like to try it if I have a chance.

The procession finished. But this festival goes on. The next event is rice cake throwing.

This is a kind of battle. Some people ran away from this battle because of falling rice cakes like meteors.

This is not a picture of hell.

All of festival was completed.

Such kind of god images have been existing for long ages in south Asian county too. But it isn't so open, popular or familiar for all generations like this festival. If it is strict and be treated as a too sacred one, it may not exist for many years. Art objects in Tagata shrine, the wooden god image and also strange souvenirs are helping it. I like this way.

It was a really strange and unique festival. It is worth to join. Don't miss it next year.

I bought this candy for my friend. But I don't know if I can really give it...

Program of the festival "Honen Matsuri 2005" at Tagata shrine

Program of Ceremony

11:00 Yakubarai-sai at Tagata-shrine
13:00 Gozensai at Kumanosha
14:00 Procession starts Kumanosha
15:00 An annual festival begins at Tagata-shrine
15:30 Procession arrives at Tagata-shrine
16:00 Rice cake throwing begins at Tagata-srine

Map on a sign board in Tagata shrine.

Information of Tagata shrine

Name: Tagata shrine (Tagata Jinjya)
Address: 152, Tagata-cho, Komaki-shi, Aichi, 485-0004, Japan
Access: 5 minutes by toot from Meitetsu Komaki line "Tagata jinjya mae eki" station.
Note: The festival "Honen Matsuri" is held on March 15th every year.

Extras: Aichi World EXPO

I went to Aichi World EXPO before the festival.

There are many flags of Aichi World EXPO everywhere.

Linear motorcar is available now. We can go to EXPO site by it. I didn't feel any vibration like a train.

Here is ticket gate of EXPO site. It is very vivid and colorful.

It hadn't opened yet. It will open in several days. I couldn't enter there although I tried as a staff.

Closed. How lucky I am!

Extras: Nagoya castle

I visited Nagoya castle too because I still had time.

This is Nagoya castle. 2 famous golden fish should have been on the top of castle. But they moved to other place for the EXPO 2 weeks ago. They didn't move for 21 years. But they'd gone... I couldn't see it. How lucky I am again!

This is a notice. It is saying "Golden fish is not available now".

Then what could I have seen except the festival?

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