Scenes from the Tohoku Rokkon Festival Parade in Tokyo Shintora Matsuri
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Women, men and children from Aomori in traditional "haneto" costumes, a giant "nebuta" float made of "washi" (Japanese paper) and wire, perform in the Tohoku Rokkon Festival Parade, a giant showcase of northern Japan's major festivals. | MARK THOMPSON
Sunday’s Tohoku Rokkon Festival Parade was the climax of the Tokyo Shintora Matsuri, which was held this weekend in Toranomon. Close to 300 performers, a handful of cute mascots and one giant float offered up a lively sampler of Tohoku’s biggest festivals.
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike was among the VIPs who helped kick off the festivities on Sunday. In her opening ceremony speech, Koike said that, like Tohoku, Japan must nurture its traditions and showcase its cultural assets to the world. | MARK THOMPSONAmong the visiting dignitaries at the opening ceremony of the Tohoku Rokkon Festival Parade were sundry mascots from Japan’s northern region. | MARK THOMPSONLeft: A top-heavy tower of lanterns on bamboo poles is held aloft by performers of the Akita Kanto Matsuri. Along the parade route, men show their prowess by balancing the precarious load in a variety of ways. Right: The flexibility and strength of bamboo is exhibited as a performer struggles to upright a bending pole. Sometimes, though, gravity wins, and the pole breaks with a loud SNAP. | MARK THOMPSONWomen perform a sample of the the Sansa Odori. The actual festival, however, features 10,000 dancers and drummers, which puts it in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest taiko festival in the world. | MARK THOMPSONThe Morioka Sansa Odori is said to have originated from a celebration dance for the god Mitsuishi, who, according to legend, saved the Iwate area from an evil demon. | MARK THOMPSONA lead performer of Yamagata Hanagasa guides the mascot Hangata Beni-chan, who wears a costume touting the prefecture’s famous cherries. | MARK THOMPSONPerformers of the Yamagata Hanagasa share a moment. | MARK THOMPSONDancers take to the air during a performance of Sendai Suzume Odori. | MARK THOMPSONDancers bearing fans perform the Sendai Suzume Odori. The lively folk dance traces its origins back to the sparrow-like movements of stonemasons celebrating completion of the Aoba Castle in 1637. | MARK THOMPSONMen take a break before pushing a large Aomori Nebuta float down Shintora Street. While there are other nebuta festivals in Japan, Aomori’s large festival, held annually in August, is the biggest. | MARK THOMPSONFor the real Aomori Nebuta Matsuri, visitors can rent costumes and join the fun. | MARK THOMPSON
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