Japanese Culture Experience – Omikoshi (お神輿)!

Nakano Hikawa Jinja Shrine(中野氷川神社) has a biggest Matsuri (Festival / Event) every year in the middle of September. And this time, YADOYA Staffs & Guests were joined this Matsuri / Event almost whole day, please see our photos below:

 

*This photo was shooting by Laurent Perge.

 

Omikoshi is a portable Shinto Shrine, which serves as a vehicle to transport a deity while moving between main shrine and temporary shrine during a festival or when moving to a new shrine.

 

And this bird, which is standing on the top of Omikoshi, called Fenghuang(鳳凰).

 

Ready for Omikoshi! Staffs and guests were meeting at YADOYA Main Branch (South side of Nakano station).

 

We had the soup before we start, and staffs from the matsuri cooked/prepared for all the people who participate the matsuri, you can easily to recognized from Happi(はっぴ), and it shows we are from Nakano South Area Group (中野南口町会).

 

We were in Blue color Happi, and Norma, who has different color as us, because she was joined Morning group, Omikoshi for children.

 

Before we start to carry a Omikoshi, we host another Omikoshi to our place. This guest Omikoshi has staff in dark blue Happi.

 

A very warm welcome, that we support guest Omikoshi to our area. This Omikoshi was not from our area, but you can see all the people were in Blue, and they all from our area actually.

 

2 groups combined together to carry this Omikoshi. The people at front, who has a red strap, they are the leader for the Omikoshi event in this group.

 

This is another group, which visited our place with the first group(previous photo).

 

After a short break, it's their turn to host our group to their area, which is North side of Nakano station. When we arrived North side of Nakano station, staff from the station served us tea immediately. During the break time, we watched Japanese drums(Taiko) performance.
 

*This photo was shooting by Laurent Perge.

YADOYA Team! We were carry it very hard!

 

 

*This photo was shooting by Laurent Perge.

This photo was took almost in the end of the omikoshi. Tientien, me, and some guys from Seibu Bank.

We actually carry the omikoshi for 3 rounds, and it took about 5 hours in a total.

 

Some children from the group from Koenji, which just next to Nakano area, they danced for the Omikoshi Matsuri. Ladies danced after these childern, and the drums team from their group was the end.

 

We all tired after carry the Omikoshi around Nakano area. And from the experiences we had, need to put some towels to put between your shoulder and the thick stick when you are carrying the omikoshi, otherwise, your shoulder will become back in a very short time.

 

Reception! We had lots of foods and drinks, and all prepared from the Omikoshi group. This was the space for staffs who joined Omikoshi.

 

And we were the other table which just next to them. We had same food as other people, but more alcohol drinks in the end… lol

 

The guy without Happi in this photo, he is Laurent, he was YADOYA camera man during Omikoshi event. He followed us from the beginning till the end, and support us very much.

 

We had Japanese Sake!!!

 

And Victoira finished it!

*It's not true, this pose just for the photo… lol

 

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*Special thanks to Laurent Perge, who took the photos for us, even I just pick up a few for this blog.

This is his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Laurentaroundaglobe.modernnomad/

 

*Special thanks to the Cameraman from Nakano South Area group.

Some of the photos from this blogs are from this cameraman.

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Alice