A report on the Usokae Festival at Takahata Tenmangu Shrine (Fukushima Prefecture): Turning the year's misfortunes into lies?

is located in Iizaka-machi, Fukushima CityTakahata Tenmangu Shrineis held twice, the "Usokae Festival"Ata year, in January and April, where you can receive a lucky charm that is said to have the super-powerful effect of turning all the misfortunes of the year into "lies".

Because of this, the area around the shrine is extremely congested on the day of the festival every year, and there are long lines at the shrine. This time, I will be reporting on my first visit to the Usokae Festival

By the way,the "Usokae Festival"are summarized in the following article.

Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

Iizaka Town's "Uso Kae Festival" - A festival to turn misfortune into lies [Fukushima Prefecture]

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/6844

Takahata Tenmangu Shrine, located in Iizaka-cho, Fukushima City, in northern Fukushima Prefecture, holds the "Uso Kae Festival" twice a year. It is held with the hope of turning all misfortune into lies and turning them into good things. Many people visit the festival in search of special charms that can only be obtained at the festival. This article provides an introduction to the Takahata Tenmangu Shrine Uso Kae Festival and explains how to visit. What is the Uso Kae Festival? The Uso Kae Festival is a Shinto ritual held with the hope of turning all the bad things of the previous year into lies and turning them into good things. Visitors are given a wooden charm in the shape of a bullfinch (Uso). The bullfinch charm is said to take the place of all the bad things of the past year...

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[7:50 AM] We arrived at the venue and the parking lot was already full..

This time, I visited on Sunday, January 12th, 2025. I left Sendai around 6:30am, where the heavy snowfall on Friday had fallen, which was unusual. The snow on the road had mostly melted, but it was still covered in black ice, and I couldn't tell if it was frozen or dry. I drove carefully and arrived at the destination around 7:50am

The award ceremony was scheduled to begin at 9am, so we arrived with plenty of time to spare

However, the parking lot at Takahata Tenmangu Shrine (Nishine Shrine) was already full. When I asked a security guard who was directing traffic, he told me that the nearby"JA Fukushima Mirai Fukushima District Headquarters"was open as a temporary parking lot for the Usokae Festival.

When we headed there straight away, there were still plenty of spaces available, and we were able to park quickly after waiting in a queue of 3-4 cars!

We parked in the JA temporary parking lot and walked about five minutes to the shrine. When we arrived at the site at exactly 8:00, there was already a long line

The path leading from the large torii gate of Nishine Shrine, visible in the photo, to the shrine office where the offerings are made is about 80 meters long, so we were set up about 100 meters away

At first, I thought maybe we arrived a little early, but that wasn't the case at all. In fact, it would have been better if we had arrived a little earlier

According to an article in the Fukushima Minpo, the person at the front of the procession on the 10th, the first day of the festival, had been waiting for about 32 hours, starting from around 1am on the 9th... That's amazing

After this, the line behind me continued to grow

【9:00 AM] The line gradually starts to move

The line gradually begins to move around 8:50, about 10 minutes before the awards begin

There are a storm of food stalls on both sides of the approach to the shrine. The cold weather and the hunger from not having had breakfast make you want to buy some snacks, but you have to resist the urge!

The line moved irregularly, moving quickly only to pause for a while. After about 20 minutes, we were almost at the main gate

After passing through the temple gate, we split into three lines and waited in front of the gift shop. This area was the most crowded, and it took another 20 minutes. Apparently, if someone buys a lot of items, the line stops for a while. It's understandable, as this is a chance that only comes twice a year

[10:00 AM] After waiting for about two hours, I finally saw the long-awaited Usodori (Japanese bush warbler)

Finally, it was my turn at exactly 10:00. I had been waiting in line since 8:00 and it had been about two hours. It was early in the morning on a winter day with still snow still lingering, so my body was completely cold and I was shivering

Although I endured the cold, I managed to achieve my goal. I was given two small wooden carvings of Usodori (Japanese bush warblers), and I also made sure to visit Takahata Tenmangu Shrine. This year looks set to be a good one

A large number of bush warblers that had completed their role for the year were placed next to Takahata Tenmangu Shrine

I also found a stall selling souvenirs for the Usokae Festival. They were selling dorayaki and manju with the image of a bush warbler branded on them, as well as Iizaka's famous radium eggs. I bought some dorayaki here too, since I was there

at Nishine Shrinethe Dontosai Festivalis held

summary

Takahata Tenmangu Shrine is not a particularly large shrine, but the number of people attending the Usokae Festival was beyond imagination. By the time I left (around 10:30), the line of people had stretched to about 300 meters, and the temporary parking lot of JA Fukushima Mirai was jammed with cars waiting in line

The peak of the day's crowds is around noon, and at its busiest,as the Tokuna Bridge in front of Iizaka Onsen Station, about 500 meters awaythe line of people can stretch as far

its incredibly powerful benefit of turning all the misfortunes of the year into "lies,"In addition toonly have a chance to obtain it twice a year—isits rarity—the fact that you

Incidentally,the Bullfinch (Spring) given out at the Usokae Festival in April has an added premium: it's limited to 1000 pieces.The competition for it is even higher…

Based on this experience, if I were to deduce the optimal solution for attending the Usokae Festival,"Arrive at the venue by 7:30 and be prepared to wait for two hours."I would say,

This way, you'll be able to endure parking and queuing with minimal stress. By the way, since you'll be waiting in the cold for a long time, we recommend that you take precautions against the cold!

Nishine Shrine and Takahata Tenmangu Shrine <Information>

• Name: Nishine Shrine and Takahata Tenmangu Shrine
• Address: 2 Yunotakabatake, Iizaka-cho, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture, 960-0211
• Phone: 024-542-6474
• URL:https://www.nishine-takahata.jp/

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Aoiwa

Traveling around the Tohoku region, I enjoy drinking delicious sake and exploring the local history, traditions, and customs. I write articles based on my interests. I'm currently interested in folk performing arts, local toys, and folk beliefs