I went to the Shishikui Gion Festival! |「海陽で行ってみた！」宍喰祇園祭り編
Hey, it’s Tony!
こんにちは、トニーだよ！
It’s now peak festival season here in Japan, and Kaiyo is no exception. For the first time since I moved here in 2021, we had our annual Shishikui Gion Festival, and it was just as festive as you’d imagine.
日本全国と同様、海陽町もまさにお祭りシーズンのピークだよね。自分が2021年に海陽町に来て以来、初めての宍喰祇園祭りを見ることができたんだけど、想像通りの賑やかさだったよ。
The festival began on the evening of July 16th and took place along the road in front of the shrine. The weather was cooler than usual, so it was quite pleasant despite the current heatwave. When I got there at around 7, you could already hear the flute performance and see many children dressed in yukata running along the streets.
お祭りは7月16日の夕方から始まり、神社の前の道路沿いで行われたよ。天気はいつもより涼しくて快適だったよ。7時ごろに着いたら、すでに笛の演奏が聞こえて、浴衣を着て走り回っていた子どもたちもたくさんいた！
There were only a couple of night stalls selling takoyaki and candy apples, so the lines were so long, they snaked down the street away from the shrine grounds!
たこ焼きとリンゴ飴などを売る夜店が2，3軒しかなくて、行列はびっくりするほど長かったね！
The shrine also featured a stunning light display by some local artists. I think the bamboo lanterns went really well with the danjiri lanterns!
神社では見事なイルミネーションが飾ってあった。竹灯りが美しく、だんじりの提灯との相性もよかったよ！
For me, though, the highlight of the night were the fireworks. They just have a certain charm about them that just keeps your eyes glued to them, don’t they?
自分にとって、この夜の一番の見どころはやっぱり花火だったかな。花火には観る者を釘付けにする魅力があるよね。
On the morning of the 17th was the actual Gion festival ceremony, starting from about 10:30. The children paraded around town in the hot summer sun, starting from the Yasaka shrine and making their way to the nearby Ebisu shrine. As the parade passed by, some of the locals would pop out of their houses to cheer on the kids, which was cool to see!
次の日が祇園祭りの本番で、朝の10時半から例大祭が始まって、暑い夏の日差しの中、八坂神社から近くの戎神社まで渡御している子どもたちを見ることができた。子どもたちの行列が通ると、近所の人たちが家からひょっこり顔を出して子どもたちを応援していたよ！
There was a short intermission after the children returned to the Yasaka shrine, during which a small stage was assembled in front of the worship hall. The children gathered around this stage for the final part of the ceremony, where one or two children performed the yatsuhashi, sakiyari and lion dances in front of dozens of people.
八坂神社に戻った後に休憩があり、その間に拝殿の前に小さな舞台が組み立てられた。子どもたちはこの舞台の周りに集まり、八橋の舞、先槍の舞、獅子舞を大勢の人の前で披露したよ。
I wasn’t great with performing in front of audiences when I was in elementary school, so I’m amazed that these children could do it so well, especially with the added pressure of this being a religious ceremony.
自分は小学校の頃は人前に出るのが苦手だったので、大切な伝統儀式というプレッシャーもある中で、あんなに上手にできた子どもたちは本当にすごいと思うよ。
I’m happy I finally got to see the Gion festival. The performance was impressive and it was cool being able to see hundreds of years of history and tradition being passed on to the next generation.
海陽町に来てからやっと祇園祭を見ることができて嬉しい！パフォーマンスは迫力があったし、何百年もの歴史と伝統が次の世代に伝わっているところを見て感動したよ。