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

Winter is the season for delicious hot pot dishes.
In Japan, where there are four seasons, ingredients are in season (spring, summer, fall, and winter), and it is customary to eat seasonal ingredients using cooking methods that are appropriate for each season. In winter, vegetables such as Chinese cabbage and green onions are in season, and many fatty fish are also 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?

Photo by photoAC /Size-adapted.

Akita Prefecture is the fifth largest municipality in Japan in terms of cod catches.
Cod is not only a typical winter fish, but also a typical fish caught in Tohoku. Of course, cod can be caught in other regions, but Hokkaido and the Tohoku region monopolize the top catches, so the expression "cod = Tohoku's winter fish" is by no means incorrect.

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 Nikaho City, Akita Prefecture, where Tara is the main character.
The name is “Kakeyo Festival”!
Dedicate cod to a shrine and enjoy the cod. It is truly a festival where you can fully 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 feature of the festival is a parade through the snow in which boat owners and fishermen carry cod weighing over 10 kilograms.
Nikaho City is covered in pure white snow at this time of year. The sight of them marching carrying large cods on their shoulders is a sight to behold. The codfish were so big that some of the people who came to watch the parade said, ``It looks delicious.'' It was so impressive.

After the procession through the area, there will be a Tara offering at the shrine.
Traditional performing arts such as the shrine maiden dance, lion dance, and "Kanaura Kagura", a designated intangible folk cultural property of Nikaho City, are also performed during the dedication ceremony. In the park next to the shrine, cod soup and other dishes will be served, and local specialties will also be 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.