Arab News Japan

TOKYO: The Owara Kaze no Bon is a 300-year-old traditional Japanese festival held to pray for a good harvest and takes place in the Yatsuo district of Toyama City on Japan’s northern coast in the first few days of September.

Traditional Japanese festivals attract visitors from all over Japan and around 200,000 turn up for the three-day festival in Toyama.

Visitors watch the dancers, who move gracefully to the slightly melancholic sounds of traditional Japanese string instruments such as the kokyu and shamisen over a period of three days.

The festival was originally created to offer prayers for bountiful harvests and lasting prosperity. For much of their history, the people of Japan have faced many natural disasters, such as typhoons and floods. The Owara Kaze no Bon Festival originated over 300 years ago to appease the winds, and to pray for respite from calamities that would destroy their crops at harvest time.

It is a community event in which only local people dance and perform. With straw hats, synchronized moves, and identical kimono, Owara’s women have made this festival famous and spectacular. Stage performances and a vast array of paper lanterns add to the festive atmosphere, which turns magical at night.