Hello! My name is Weronika. This is the first article of my student internship.

About the Lantern Festival

On 31 July I was on Odawara Lantern Festival, which was held in Odawara Castle Park. It’s the most popular, traditional summer festival in Odawara. When I left the car park and came closer to the castle, I saw a lot of lanterns lined up along the moat. They were made by Odawara primary schools students. Lantern Illustrations present the most favorite figures of children. Because of the latest popularity of PokemonGo game, there were a lot of lanterns decorated with the Pokemon characters.

Creating lanterns

When I was admiring lanterns placed on the main square, I felt like I want to make the lantern by myself. In the set up area, you could create your own lantern for 1000 yen (about 10$). I chose my favorite pattern and made the lantern according to the instructions of the man who watched over the stall. Mainly, it is an entertainment for children, but there were a lot of adults who wanted to try as well. For me, it was like coming back to the childhood. : )

Odawara Castle Japanese Drums Battle

From 3 to 4:30 pm, there was a traditional performance called Odawara Castle Japanese Drums Battle. Bands from schools in Odawara gave a great performance on the main stage. I was really impressed! When the drummers hit the drums vigorously, the resounding tones spread all over the square. If you haven’t ever listened to the sound of Japanese drums, you should definitely come here to enjoy this festival.

Omikoshi parade

There were a lot of small temporary stores, where you could buy Japanese yakitori, yakisoba, beer, ice cream and so on. When you felt hungry, you could snack something easily. The opening ceremony of omikoshi neighborhood council parade had started at 4.30 p.m. Among all of the entertainments of this festival, this one is most impressing. Omikoshi is a portable shrine in which the spirit of a deity temporarily reposes during a festival. It is carried on the shoulders of bearers. Omikoshi parade is an often seen performance in many other Japanese festivals too, but the characteristic feature of the Odawara Festival is that the members of the council who carry their portable shrine, stops after the running over some meters. After repeating this action twice, they start to walk.

Odawara Castle

For the people who are interested in the Japanese history, I recommend a visit to the Odawara Castle Tower. The exhibition inside explains the history of Odawara Castle from Heian period until now. From the last floor you can see the beautiful landscape of the city. Moreover, this year the tower has been renovated and the visitors can admire refreshed interiors.

Summary

What do you think? Would you like to come on Odawara Lantern Festival? I think that it’s a great fun for everyone, the young and the elders as well. The festival is organized every year, then let’s come to see it next year!

Information

*Please check for the latest information before visiting.
* This article was written by a trainee from overseas. Please note that there might be spelling and grammar mistakes.