Japan Diaries: Nozawaonsen Village Japan (Part Two)

Japan Diaries: Nozawaonsen Village Japan, January 2019. Stayed at Elizabeth Hotel - 〒389-2502 Nagano, Shimotakai District, Nozawaonsen, Toyosato, 9418 4. 
All photos taken by me and Hai with Canon D70.

Following up on Part One of my visit to Nozawaonsen, Japan 2019 - I am still missing winter and how beautiful it was here in this quaint town. I remember being at such peace while I collected my thoughts. No traffic noise, no shop music, no pedestrian noise. 

I only heard the breeze rustling the trees, the water flowing from canals, the birds landing on roofs and my footsteps crunching in the snow. It was a healing journey here from the hustle and bustle of my life back in Sydney. I visited shrines and browsed shops and played in the snow. 

I blog these photos, even a year later to preserve these memories. No need for many words - I just let the photos speak for itself.

Japan Diaries: Nozawa Onsen Fire Festival (Part Two)

Japan Diaries: Fire Festival (Dosojin Matsuri) at Nozawa Onsen Village, Japan on 15th January 2019. Photos taken by me and Hai with Canon D70 DSLR and Google Pixel 3XL.

Following up on Part One blog post of our trip to Nozawa Onsen where we witnessed the famous Fire Festival in January 2019, I am now going to talk about the main event - the 'fight re-enactment' and the burning down of the shaden (shrine).

After grabbing some dinner, we then went back to the clearing to patiently wait for it to begin. With thousands of villagers and tourists gathering at the site, the excitement was mounting. At nightfall, the group of 42 year old villagers, dressed in red, started to climb the ladder to sit at the top of shaden. The group of 25 year old villagers, dressed in blue gathered around at the bottom, holding onto ropes and they start drinking and carrying about.

A man dressed in orange at the bottom then starts yelling out, introducing himself and starts getting the villagers at the shaden to do so as well. Each man at the top stood up, drank some sake and introduced themselves proudly. Hai and I don't understand Japanese, but we could feel how wonderful and joyous this occasion was.

Soon, some villagers (dressed in orange/beige) started putting up more shrines, adorned with paper flags and flowers, and a chanting begins. A parade of traditional drums get bought out, a show starts and the chanting grows louder.

Then, the bonfires around the shaden are lit, and all the participating villagers sets their reed torches alight, and start charging at the men at the bottom, attempting to set the shaden on fire. The 25 year old men spends their time defending the shaden, getting covered in soot and ashes for at least an hour. They get hit in the face and upper body while holding onto the ropes.

Eventually the group at the top start throwing down more reed torches to the villagers so they can continue their fight. It was electrifying to watch. All the locals were chanting and the crowds gasped in laughter when the villagers got a good hit in. Sake was passed around and we got to drink merrily with the villagers.

After hours of this re-enactment, the men defending the shaden admit their 'defeat' and they start climbing down the ladder to clear the area. Then the villagers attacking the shaden take it seriously and finally light it on fire, throwing in all surrounding shrines as well. The fire is huge and you feel the heat from so far away; the smoke and ash reaching the skies. Everyone continues their deafening chants as they wish for luck and a prosperous year, celebrating another successful Fire Festival.

Hai and I left at around 11.30pm, covered in soot and ash as the shaden finally burnt to the ground. Our legs were so sore from standing all day. The next morning when I opened our hotel windows, something amazing happened. It was snowing!!! This is exactly what this village prayed for, and they got it. I was so happy for them. I am so happy I got to witness such a great event with Nozawa Onsen.

You can read more about Part One here.

Japan Diaries: Nozawa Onsen Fire Festival (Part One)

Japan Diaries: Fire Festival (Dosojin Matsuri) at Nozawa Onsen Village, Japan on 15th January 2019. Photos taken by me and Hai with Canon D70 DSLR and Canon Pixel 3XL.

Every year, on the 15th of January, the quaint and sleepy Nozawa Onsen village starts finishing up their preparations for their annual Fire Festival. It's a exciting and fun festival and Hai and I arrived to this village two days before just to witness it. In fact, we planned our whole Japan four week honeymoon around this festival. Hai had intended to come here last time he went to Japan  but he missed it by a few days. This time around, we booked a room at the Elizabeth Hotel for three nights. We absolutely suggest booking early as accommodation gets booked out early!

Held on the same day every year, this festival pays tribute to the Fire Gods (also known as dosojin). The festival originally was a folklore cultural event asking the gods to bring good harvest, health, good ski season and good fortune for the upcoming year. Now its done to celebrate the birth of a family’s first child, to dispel evil spirits and also to pray for happy marriage.

13th and 14th of January

The trees start getting cut down in October and bought down from the surrounding mountains and the wood is prepared. It takes approximately 100 villagers to build the huge structure that would be the main attraction at the festival. It is also known as the shrine or shaden and it starts getting built on the 13th of January continuing until late at night on the 14th. The main event starts on the 15th: the "Fire-Setting Battle". This staged battle is performed by only men that are 42 and 25 years of age which are deemed as "unlucky ages".

The morning of 15th January

Hai and I went down to the main grounds to witness the villagers complete the shaden on the 15th. The villagers work hard - tightening the structure with ropes, place piles of wicks at the top, and shovelling snow up so the area is clean before the main event starts.  Stripped down logs are assembled into a tall 7m high shaden with a platform at the top for the group of the 42 year old men to sit on during the staged battle. The 25 year olds will stand at the bottom standing guard.

When the shaden has been completed, the priest from the Kosuge shrine performs a ceremony endowing it with a dosojin. 

Hai and I went back to the main street to have dinner and to prepare to come back at night. We came back and gathered around the shaden while other villagers and tourists waited with us. There were thousands of people waiting and as the sun set, the festival began. 

Part Two: The night of 15th January

Stayed tuned as Part Two blog post will feature the night time of the 15th. We were so excited to see this once in a lifetime event!