Higashinada Danjiri involves a parade of floats, decorated with images of people, plants and animals. They're pulled by teams of veterans and ridden by energetic young performers that lean out over the crowd. This is a tradition of Higashinada Ward, in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. In front of the ward office, the floats are lifted up, and brought down in a bowing motion. Local high school students design the costumes, and performers create a festival atmosphere with drums and bells.
Kobe is a big city, and its streets are normally full of traffic.
But the main vehicles today are 32 festival floats.
Let's take a look at a city center festival with lots of young, enthusiastic participants.
In Higashinada Danjiri, floats decorated with images of people,
plants and animals are pulled through town by large groups of people.
The 32 districts of Higashinada take part, each with their own float.
Higashinada's 70th anniversary
danjiri parade will now begin.
Hooray!
This time, the festival is celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Higashinada ward.
Taiko drums, bells and other instruments provide the soundtrack as the floats are dramatically pivoted.
Then, they set off.
Each float weighs around four tons, and is pulled by several dozen people.
All 32 floats appear together only once every ten years, at anniversary events.
They form a line and parade through town.
Festivals like this have been held in nearby villages for over 200 years.
There are many theories about how this started.
According to one, the goal was to ward off epidemics.
Higashinada is a residential area - on a narrow strip of land between the mountains and the sea.
Pulling the heavy floats up a slope is an exhausting task.
This national highway is an important route through the city,
but on the festival day, the floats replace the traffic.
The floats line up in front of Higishinada Ward Office.
This is the venue for the anniversary ceremony.
I hope everybody continues
to cherish the danjiri.
And the bonds this event
builds in Higashinada.
I hope we'll celebrate again
10 years from now, and beyond.
We intended to hold
this event in 2020.
Due to COVID-19,
it was postponed twice.
But everyone worked hard
to prepare for this.
And many infection control
measures were put in place.
The sight of 32 floats at this
morning's ceremony was deeply moving.
Lots of people have taken
good care of this festival.
It's a tradition that
transcends generations.
I hope that Higashinada continues
to be a wonderful place to live.
"The festival garments were designed
by volunteers from a local school."
The silver bands represent
the bonds created by the festival.
I want to cherish the local bonds
between communities and schools.
Higashinada is a leading sake-producing area,
and so lids are broken on barrels of sake to mark this local day of celebration.
In front of the ward office, the 32 teams take turns offering thanks to the many spectators.
Gratitude takes the form of a bow - the float is lifted and lowered.
Another distinctive highlight is the energetic rooftop-riders, secured at the waist.
Young performers compete to put on the best show.
Veterans support the float from below.
Danjiri floats are a feature of various matsuri around Japan.
They're generally pulled or carried.
The ones in Higashinada are an example of pulled floats.
The lanterns on top form the outline of a mountain.
Each lantern bears the name of the district the float belongs to.
Taiko drums, bells, and gongs generate a festive atmosphere.
The older floats were built around 200 years ago.
They're a precious part of local cultural heritage.
Rain may damage the floats, and make the wheels slip.
So on this rainy day, the planned route was cut in half.
During its long history, the festival has been interrupted by war
and the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake.
But it has endured.
After pandemic-related postponements, the joy of the participants is clear to see.