Nishiki Town's Giant Balloon Festival on February 10 !

A traditional  festival of Nishiki Town, Giant Balloon Festival will take place on February 10, 2012. Giant balloons made of Japanese paper are ignited inside and released up to the sky. The festival has a history of more than a century.

Mushae (picture of samurai) and Bijinga (picture of beautiful women) are painted by the local artists and community members. The view of more than 100 balloons shining in the starry sky is truly magnificent! (Read about last year's event.)

Place:

Nishikicho Kamifusen Hiroba (Nishiki Town Paper Town Plaza)

7 minutes walk from Akita Nairiku-sen railway “Kamihinokinai” Station

Schedule:

15:00

Opening –Ritual ceremony; A tent where visitors can write wishes opens.

15:30

Local Traditional Performing Arts Show (Kamifusen-Taiko, Teodori Dance)

16:40

Daytime Release

17:40

Welcome speech by the committee

18:00

Night-time release begins

19:00

Night-time release (of the balloon which the visitors has written the wishes.)

20:30

 Final Release



Preparing the Giant Paper Lanterns for Tazawako Snow Festival

Tazawako Kogen Snow Festival （田沢湖高原雪まつり）is a great chance for you to see some of the traditional new year festival of Semboku City at one time!

One of the highlights is Kamifusen-age （紙風船上げ）from Nishiki Area, in which giant lanterns with colorful paintings and written wishes are lit inside and released up to the sky, and Hiburi-kamakura （火振りかまくら） from Kakunodate town.

Tazawako Kogen Snow Festival will be held next weekend (February 18th- 20th). (See the schedule. )The lanterns are being prepared by many local community groups. This is what we have been working on this week.

The lantern is made of a bamboo loop and four sheets of washi (Japanese papers). The first step is to draw images on the paper with a pencil and paint with some acrylic paints distilled with water and vinegar. Here is what we have worked on yesterday!

Today  the papers have been dried. In a few days, it will be combined with three other sheets and fixed with a steady bamboo loop. On the festival day, it will have a ball of fabric in the center of the loop, lit with fire, and released up to the sky.

The original Kamifusen-age festival will be held tonight in Nishiki Area from 15:00 to 20:30.

NISHIKI

The Japan's Largest Colony of Dogtooth Violet in Nishiki

Nishiki is a village area adjacent to Tazawako, also as a part of Semboku City.  Any visiter would feel as if she/he has slipped back in time in this picturesque scenery of rural Japan. Having 90 percent of the land consisting of forests and mountains, there are well-developted facilities and products incorporating the natural resources.  Nishiki is a home to one of the largest colony of Dogtooth Violet in Japan, covering the area of 20 ha. It is an exellent place where you can have hands-on experience on rural life.

(The Largest Chestnut of Japan, Saimyoji Guri)

(Paper Balloon Festival)

Photos Courtesy of Semboku City