Iijima: The town of Iijima, Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, held a local festival on Saturday, in which 10,000 “furin” wind bells were displayed.

This was recognized as the largest number of furin on display by the Guinness World Records, according to the organizers.

The wind bells were exhibited on 80-meter-long “yagura” towers set up on a street at the heart of the town, which is located near the “Minami Alps” and “Chuo Alps” mountains. The organizing committee of the festival procured the glass wind bells with funds donated from businesses and individuals.

Visitors to the festival looked up at the wind bells and took pictures.

The festival, “Shinshu Iijima Kazekaido Rinrin Matsuri,” was started in 2021 by a group of local people to shore up the town, which is facing a decline in its population. The organizers decided to use furin for the festival to express the comfortable winds that blow through the mountains.

“We collected the 10,000 wind bells over three years,” Yoko Horiuchi, who chairs the organizing committee, said. “We want people from around the country to see the best ‘furin street’ in the world,” she said.

The wind bells will be on display until Tuesday morning. But the schedule is subject to change depending on the movements of Typhoon Lan, which is approaching Japan, according to the committee.

JIJI Press