Naka City: Known for its Splendid Cherry Blossoms and Unique Local Cuisine
Naka City is located slightly north of the center of Ibaraki Prefecture.
Shizumine Furusato Park in Naka City has been selected as one of the “Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots in Japan.” The park features approximately 2,000 double-flowered cherry trees (yaezakura) and Somei Yoshino cherry trees, as well as cultivated moss phlox and azaleas.
Naka City’s specialty dish is “Shichi-un-jiru” (Seven Luck Soup). This soup is made with ingredients whose names end with “n” (which symbolizes luck), such as daikon (radish), ninjin (carrot), konnyaku (konjac), and udon (noodles).
There is a folktale in which a farmer suffering from poor harvests was advised to make a soup using ingredients with “n” (luck) in their names and add udon to bring good fortune. After making and eating Shichi-un-jiru, the following year yielded a good harvest. It is often served at events, so if you have the chance, be sure to try it.
Quoted from http://www.naka-kanko.jp/page/page000015.html
Let’s Visit the Sugaya Festival!
Date: August 15, 2019
Location: Kashima Shrine
Access:
- 10 minutes on foot from JR Kashima Line, Kashima Jingu Station
- Approximately 10 minutes by car from Naka IC on the Joban Expressway
http://www.naka-kanko.jp/page/page000087.html (Official Naka City Tourism Website)
The “Sugaya Festival” is a festival held in Naka City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and is also known as the “Sugaya Lantern Festival” or the “Osuke Festival.”
It was known as the “Osuke Festival” until 1999, but from 2002, it was officially renamed the “Sugaya Festival.”
This festival has a venerable tradition and has been held since Ansei 4 (1857), when Kashima Shrine in the Sugaya district of Naka City was relocated.
Additionally, it is held only once every three years on August 15, making it a rare and special event.
Highlight: The Fire-Cutting Ritual!
The biggest highlight is the grand ritual involving fire.
Around 7 PM, nine floats decorated with hundreds of lanterns from various districts parade into the shrine. Then, at about 8 PM, the priest uses a sacred sword to perform the fire-cutting ceremony, and the sacred fire is extinguished with a bamboo branch adorned with seven lanterns (called nanatsu bonbori).
For detailed videos, click here.
A Rare Lantern Festival
Lantern festivals often have a very nostalgic and charming atmosphere, but this festival is unique among them due to its grand ritual involving fire. It is a rare event that offers a spectacular display of flames and lanterns, so why not visit and experience it for yourself?
Featured image quoted from “Zenkoku Miru Navi“
(Edited by 千八乃)
