This festival passed down among small villages deep in the mountains is a good opportunity to get to know Japanese beliefs. The Hana Festival is held in the 11th month of the lunar calendar, when the human body and soul are said to be at their weakest, and sees villagers gather at a ceremonial site called the "Maido" where the deities are invited to come down, and through communion with these spirits the people are reborn afresh. Children dance the sweet Hana Dance and men wearing giant ogre masks dance waving broadaxes over their heads in the "Yamami oni" and "Sakaki oni" dances. The people and ogres dance together through the night to festival music, giving off a curious feeling of unity and euphoria. Won't you also come dance with the deities and be reborn into a new you?
Data
- Address
-
〒449-0215
Nakazaike 50, Nane, Toei Town, Kita-Shitara County, Aichi Prefecture
- Fee
- Admission free (If you give a dedication—the hanamimai—you will receive the community's original thank-you gift in return.)
- Phone Number
- 0536-76-0502 (Promotion Section, Toei Town Office)
- Parking
- None
Access
Get directions on Google Maps
By Public Transport
- [JR Iida Line] Toei Station → [Bus] Toei Line: Get off at Mitsuseguchi and walk approx. 30 min.
By Car
- San-en Nanshin Expressway Horaikyo I.C. → National Route 151 → Town Road Town Road Suidoguchi Mitsuse Route Approx. 30 min. from Horaikyo I.C.
Shin-Tomei Expressway Shinshiro I.C. → National Route 151 → Town Road Suidoguchi Mitsuse Route