[Yamagata Prefecture] It’s summer! It's a festival! Hanagasa returns | We will introduce the long-awaited Hanagasa Festival 2022 information

Due to the pandemic (new coronavirus), many things were forced to be reduced or canceled.

Although it is not yet fully revived, summer festivals can now be held again Each of the six Tohoku prefectures has a festival with a long history, but this time we will focus on the Hanagasa Festival, which is representative of Yamagata Prefecture . We will update you with as much detail as we currently know, including the schedule.

Please read to the end while thinking about the festival.

The long-awaited Tohoku festival "Hanagasa Festival" will be held!

Each of the six prefectures in Tohoku has its own historical summer festival.Masu. A festival held in each of the six Tohoku prefectures as the "Tohoku Rokukon Festival" to pray for the repose of the souls and recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred in 2011. (Aomori Nebuta Festival, Akita Kanto Festival, Iwate Sansa Odori, Miyagi Tanabata Festival, Yamagata Hanagasa Festival, Fukushima Waraji Festival)The event was held at a different location each year. It is still held in May as the Tohoku Kizuna Festival.

Festivals used to be held in each prefecture, but they have been canceled for the past three years due to the coronavirus.

It was eagerly awaited by not only the citizens of Yamagata Prefecture but also fans from all over the country.“Hanagasa Festival” will be restarted this year in 2022It happened.

Yamagata City is already dyed in festival colors. With less than a month until the Hanagasa Festival, the faces of the people walking around town seem to be brighter than ever.

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[Official] A post shared by Yamagata Hanagasa Festival (@hanagasa_official)

This is the Yamagata Hanagasa group that participated in this year's Tohoku Kizuna Festival (held in Akita in May). The smile under the mask seems to be shining.

2022． What are the dates for the Hanagasa Festival? Who are the guests?

Although it is not yet a complete revival, the venue will remain the same. The event will be scaled back a little and the number of participants will be reduced, and there will be no walk-in participants, and people will only be able to watch from the roadside. It seems that there will be no paid seats, and the event will be open to the public

Hanagasa Festival schedule

*I was able to jump in and enjoy the Japanese dance at the end of the Hanagasa Odori parade every year, but it has been canceled due to coronavirus measures.

Festival guests (tentative) *Title omitted

``Fumio Otsuka'' is a singer representing Yamagata Prefecture, so he is scheduled to perform for three consecutive days. Yamagata-born talents such as ``Manami Hashimoto'' and ``Eri Watanabe'' who are familiar from TV, and ``Tetsu and Tomo'' from the comedy world are scheduled to make the Hanagasa Festival even more exciting.

Highlights of the Hanagasa Parade | What types of dances are there?

Knowing about the highlights and dances of the Hanagasa Odori parade will expand the range of ways you can enjoy it. We will introduce the order of the parade from previous years. We will also touch on women's dance, men's dance, etc.

Must-see highlights of the Hanagasa Odori Parade

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A post shared by the 59th Miss Hanagasa (@ms.hanagasa59)

The parade time is from 18:00 to 21:30.
Leading the parade will be Mayor Yamagata and Miss Hanagasa on the 5th, Executive Committee Chairperson and Miss Hanagasa on the 6th, and Council Vice President and Miss Hanagasa on the 7th.

Miss Hanagasa is in the lead for all three days, and it's a brilliant start . Next, each group of participating companies parades around with elaborate dances.

What are the types of dances?

The Hanagasa Ondo of Hanagasa Odori is said to have been sung to match the tune during construction of an irrigation pond at Lake Tokura in the Murayama region.

Later, the choreography was based on the rice planting dance, and people started dancing it. There were different ways of dancing depending on the region, but the styles that continue to this day include women's dance and men's dance.

``Umbrella mawashi'', which has been passed down in the Obanazawa region since ancient times, is said to be a dance that was created by fanning an umbrella to blow the wind when constructing an irrigation pond.

The parade of dances is different , such as speedy umbrella twirling, graceful women's dances, and powerful and sharp men's dances

Taoyaka and powerful! Let's go see the Hanagasa Festival!

I'm still worried about infection, but since it's an outdoor festival, why not take proper infection control measures and take precautions against heat stroke while watching the festival, and let the daily blues and intense heat go away, even if just for a moment? Enjoy a summer day at the Hanagasa Festival, a festival that Yamagata is proud of.

I will also be there on the day of the event, and will share my experience later. Please enjoy it!