[Akita] Cod is the star! Winter “Kakeo Festival” where you can enjoy lots of cod

Winter is a delicious season for hot pots. In Japan, where the four seasons, there are seasonal ingredients in spring, summer, autumn and winter, and seasonal ingredients are usually used in a cooking method suitable for the season.
In winter, vegetables such as Chinese cabbage and green onions are in season, and many fish with fat are in season.

Typical fish that are in season in winter include ``Kinmedai'', ``Monkfish'', ``Fugu'', and ``Yellowtail''. Hatahata, the fish most commonly associated with Akita Prefecture, is also in season during winter. Another fish that is in season in winter is cod, which is often caught from Hokkaido to Tohoku.

In Nikaho City, Akita Prefecture, there is a festival dedicated to cod, which can be said to accompany nabe. The Kakeyo Festival, a cod festival that you should enjoy in winter, is a festival that is worth noting not only for Akita's traditional culture but also for its taste. Tie-up events are also held, so it's a festival that will satisfy even cod lovers.

Is there a festival where Tohoku's typical winter food, "cod", takes center stage?

Akita Prefecture is a local government that boasts the fifth place in the country in cod catch.
Cod is a typical winter fish, but it is also a typical fish caught in Tohoku. Of course, it can be caught in other areas, but the expression "Tara = winter fish in Tohoku" is never wrong because the top of the catch is monopolized by Hokkaido and the Tohoku region.

Of course, winter in Akita would not be complete without cod. Cod is also often used as an ingredient in shottsuru, a traditional Akita dish.

Of course, cod is also an indispensable ingredient for hot pot dishes, which are essential for winter in Japan. Supermarkets have a lot of cod fillets like the one in the picture. When you see this scene at a grocery store, you can feel a deep sense of winter.

There is a festival in which such "Tara" is the leading role in Kaho City, Akita Prefecture.
The name is "Kakeyo Festival"!
Dedicate cod to the shrine and hit the cod. It is a festival where you can enjoy cod.

What kind of festival is “Kakeo Festival”?

The area where Nikaho City's Kakeo Festival is held was an area called ``Konoura Town'' before the municipal merger. Fishing has been popular in Kanaura Town for a long time, and large quantities of Akita's representative fish, sandfish and cod, were landed here. The Kakeo Festival has been going on for 300 years, and is a festival where fish are offered to Kanaurayama Shrine, which is located close to the fishing port, to pray for an abundance of fish and safe fishing. It is held every year on February 4th, the first day of spring.

The main festival is to march in the snow that ship owners and fishermen carry more than 10 kilometers.
Nikaho is covered with pure white snow at this time. It is a masterpiece to carry a large swinging cod. Even those who are coming to see the march can hear the word "delicious", which is wonderful.

Once you march in the area, you will be dedicated at the shrine. In the dedication ritual, traditional performing arts such as the shrine maiden dance, the lion dance, and the designated intangible folk cultural property of Nikaho City will also be shown.
In the park on the side of the shrine, cod juice is served, and local specialty products are also sold. It is a very lively festival where you can feel the history as a fishing port.

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There is also a tie-up project where you can eat cod “Tarafuku”

In conjunction with the festival, Nikaho City will also hold tie-up events. At restaurants in town, you can find plenty of dishes made with cod, which is in season. It will be held every year until 2017, coinciding with the festival period.

The local name for the Kakeo Festival is ``Cod Festival.'' It is truly a festival and campaign for people to enjoy cod, which is in season during the winter. I want to enjoy Akita's famous cod and sake while watching the snow falling here and there in the winter.

lastly

The Kakeo Festival (Cod Festival) is one of the many fish festivals in Japan, and it is a festival that features a close-up of cod. Cod-related projects are also held in collaboration with local chambers of commerce and other organizations, making it a winter festival that will please your taste buds. Not only can you enjoy it, but you can also feel the solemnity of the traditional event of dedicating fish to a historic shrine.

It's a fun winter festival. When you come to Akita, please feel the unique winter atmosphere.