π Festival - Minazuki Festival, Wajima City

Courtesy of Ishikawa Prefecture Tourism League
Courtesy of Ishikawa Prefecture Tourism League
Courtesy of Ishikawa Prefecture Tourism League
Applicable Dates :
Available the 30th of July through the 31st of July
Itinerary Type :
Festivals
Number of Stops
2
Est. Drive
27 km / 16.7 miles - 32 minutes
Est. Site-Seeing :
Between 12 hours and 17 hours 10 minutes
Website :
https://www.hot-ishikawa.jp/kiriko/en/kiriko/minazuki.php
 
This festival is one of 29 Noto Kiriko Matsuri ("Float Festivals") held each year in the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture, the most for any area of Japan.

This festival can/should be combined/customized with one or more other driving itineraries in Ishikawa. You can conveniently access this festival from various "gateways" in Ishikawa Prefecture: the Kanazawa JR Station if arriving by train, or either the Komatsu or Noto Satoyama Airports if arriving by air. All three gateways have multiple rental car outlets.

Due to crowds for the festival, be prepared to park away from the actual festival site. There are normally local people directing traffic near the site(s) so allow a little extra time to park and walk to the site.

Highlights of this festival:

● A typical kiriko festival based on the Shinto ceremony for surviving the summer.
● Fighting for the gohei on top of the bonfire.
● Four types of festival music for the parade.

For background and historical details click the link to the festival website above.
 

27 km / 16.7 miles - 32 minutes
1. Noto Satoyama Airport - のと里山空港

Courtesy of Wikipedia
Courtesy of Walter L. Keats
Accessible Has Food Has Geocache Has Parking Has Shopping Has Toilet Has Vending Machine(s)
MapCode :
283 475 067*52
Phone :
076-826-2000
Website :
http://www.noto-airport.jp/
Description :
The Noto Satoyama Airport is centrally located in the Noto Peninsula. As of early 2019 there were 2 daily round trip flights from Tokyo's Haneda Airport via All Nippon Airways. There are several rental car companies with offices at the airport. Airport code is NTQ.
Address :
10-11-1 Miimachi Sue, Wajima-shi, Ishikawa 929-2372
26.9 km /  16.7 miles - (32 minutes)
2. Minazuki Festival (#09) - 水無月祭り (#09)

Courtesy of Ishikawa Prefecture Tourism League
Courtesy of Ishikawa Prefecture Tourism League
Courtesy of Ishikawa Prefecture Tourism League
Has Food Has Parking Has Toilet Has Vending Machine(s)
Min/Max Time :
720 / 1030 Minutes
MapCode :
552 649 510*03
Phone :
076-823-1146
Website :
https://www.hot-ishikawa.jp/kiriko/en/kiriko/minazuki.php
Description :
The Minazuki Festival is held on July 30th and 31st each year.

"At the end of July, halfway through the year according to the lunar calendar, the Minazuki Festival takes place in the Najimi area of Nanao City. During the festival, a Shinto ceremony is held to expel the impurities of the previous six months.

At 11 o’clock at night on the first day, fireworks are set off, and five portable shrines and kiriko floats from each neighborhood are paraded around the town on their way to the beach. Kiriko lanterns show the way, leading the portable shrines in the darkness. They are accompanied by festival songs, which raise the mood of the festival.

After completion of a Shinto ceremony at the beach, the portable shrines and kiriko lanterns dance wildly in the playground of Najimi Junior High School. The kiriko lanterns create beautiful lines of light in response to four types of music. In the middle of the night, large bonfires are lit, and portable shrines dance around them. When the bonfires burn out, people fight for three gohei and the festival reaches its climax.

On the second day, a purification ceremony takes place at the mouth of Najimi River. A shaft decorated with sakaki branches is dipped in the sea to expel impurities. The ceremony takes place while five portable shrines are standing in a row on the beach under the hot summer sun; this scene seems to purify the spectators as well. After the ceremony, the portable shrines return to Sumiyoshi Shrine. The festival ends in a calm atmosphere."

Source: "Kiriko Festivals in Noto"

This festival (#09) is one of 29 Noto Kiriko Matsuri ("Float Festivals") held each year in the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture, the most for any area of Japan.

For additional background and historical details click the link to the festival website above.
Hours :
Peak times: 1st Day - 24:00; 2nd Day - 15:00.
Recommended arrival times: 1st Day - 23:00; 2nd Day - 14:30.
Recommended parking: Wajima Nosonkankyokaizen Center parking - MapCode: 552 649 224*33.
Address :
Najima area of Wajima City

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