A Fall Festival in my town.

Japan's most beautiful season, autumn has come. There are many various types of festivals held throughout Japan. Every town, city and village either has a unique version of a festival.
This is an autumn festival held in my area (Nara Japan) to thank for a good harvest. The weather was beautiful, and it was a good time to be out side all day long!

Thanks for this year’s good rice harvest....
at our local shrine after the harvest.

Yoimiya(on the first evening of the festival) in the garden of the shrine.
Yoimiya festival eve was held with the dances and the drum performance from 6 p.m.- to 9 p.m.

.....though I could not see the drum performance...

The altar in the Shrine.

Miko kagura...Dances performed by shrine maidens called Miko in Japanese.
Miko are dancing on the sacred stage of the shrine with 2 of Japanese flutes and a drum.

Miko is performing with the bamboo grasses and papers.



On the second day of the festival, the float (Dashi) was drawn by the local men wearing Happi coats through the streets, which started from the shrine at 9;30 a.m. and returned 4 p.m.

The float is going up the stairs. It was a show time of bravery in the crowd. This heavy float was pulled with a rope by the team of about 30 men.

The little boys dressed up in Happi coats on the float.
They kept drumming inside the float during the parade!

The float continued going up, taking a balance.

Mikoshi(a portable shrine)with simboles of gods, which was paraded on the shoulders of men today as well.

This local festival loved by the people has long been protected as a traditional event. The drum resound in the streets on this day, and a lot of people come to enjoy watching.

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This is one of the biggest festival called Nebuta in Japan.

The golden rice paddy.

Four rice ears come out of a seed. 60 of fruits are born from a rice year. 60 by 4! 240 rice grains are born from every single seed.

                                      
                                               We call this flower Hi-ga-n- flower in Japanese.
                  Spyder lilies begin to bloom at the equinoctial week which is called O-hi-ga-n.

Several years ago, a close friend of mine invited me with other friends to her hometown “Okutsu”, where her parents have long been lived as farmers, growing rice. The town is locally well known for a beautiful place with colorful fall leaves , the big lake, well paved cycling road extending around the mountains, and the hot springs. Impressed by the profuse clean water from the mountains making its way to the rice paddies and their warm hospitality, strolling rice paddies has been a part of my interests ever since.
For over 2000years, rice has been the most important food in Japanese cuisine. Rice can be found in numerous dishes in Japan today.

Onigiri in my kitchen.
Onigiri is rice balls made of cooked rice and usually wrapped in nori seaweed. They are slightly salted and often contain some additional food. For example an umeboshi in the center, or on the tip is the most popular.

                                                             This is my family’s favorite.
Rice and mash rooms are cooked with Japanese soup powder, soy sauce and sake. It is very easy, and always comes out delicious!!