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Loving Where You Are Helps You Know and Love Yourself: Reflections on "Owara Kazeno Bon" Festival in Toyama

Tomi

"Owara Kazeno Bon" Festival is held every year from September 1st for three days in Yatsuo Town, located in the mountainous area of Toyama City. This is the largest festival in the city. In the past, novels and NHK dramas have been created based on this festival, so it's a well-known event for those familiar with it across Japan. I discovered Yukiko Kodama's manga series "Tsukikage Babe" which is based on "Owara Kazeno Bon," after moving to Toyama in 2019. I bought all nine volumes and have been rereading them every year around this time since then.

"Owara Kazeno Bon" is a traditional festival that has been held for about 300 years, since around 1700 in the Edo period. This festival takes place around 210 days after the New Year, which is when typhoons often pass over the Japanese archipelago. It has a historical meaning as a "Fūjin Matsuri," or wind festival, where people pray for a good harvest and hope that the rice crops won't be damaged by the typhoon.

Yatsuo Town has a population of about 5,500, but during the three days of this festival, around 200,000 tourists visit, depending on factors such as the day of the week it falls on (whether it includes weekends or not) and the weather. The small, quiet town of Yatsuo becomes crowded with many visitors during these three days.

Naturally, even getting there from even within Toyama City requires some planning. Both the Shinkansen Toyama Station and Dentetsu Toyama Station, which are usually quiet, become packed with lines of people—something you rarely see in Toyama.

So, should you go to see it?

There are people who love "Owara Kazeno Bon" and look forward to it every year. There are also those who have lived in Toyama for many years but have never attended. The festival is broadcast on cable TV, so you can watch the dancing from the comfort of your home. Some people aren't interested at all, and that's perfectly fine. Everyone has their own values.

However, however, however... If you live in Toyama City, I think you should definitely go at least once.

You often hear, "There's nothing in Toyama." What do you mean, "nothing"? There's everything. It's true that there is only one department store, and shopping basically means going to Favore Shopping Center. There's no famous amusement park, and the number of universities is limited. But you can find everything you need for daily life. And you have the beautiful view of the Tateyama mountain range, the abundant seafood of Toyama Bay, delicious water, and clean air. What do you mean, "nothing"?

That's what I think, having moved here from another prefecture.

Even those who say, "There's nothing here," may not actually dislike Toyama. They just like to say that.

Don't you think people who know their own charm and can present it well are attractive? Whether they are young or old, slim or heavy, healthy or struggling with illness, everyone has their own charm. People who are aware of their own charm and live by it are likely to experience longer periods of happiness. And that happiness is contagious to others. That's why people who are aware of their own charm seem attractive to others.

This is connected to knowing the charm of the place where you live. People who dislike where they live probably dislike themselves, too. After all, as adults, we choose where we live. No matter how many ties or work obligations there are in a place, if someone truly feels out of place, they have likely moved elsewhere long ago. The place you are in now is the result of your choice. If you don't like that result, it means you don't like your own choices, and ultimately, you don't like yourself.

Get to know the place where you live. Learn to love it. Because that is the same as knowing yourself and loving yourself.

This year, I went on the first day, September 1st, and mainly enjoyed the dancing in Suwa Town, known for its beautiful streets.

There is a unique charm to "Owara Kazeno Bon" that can only be understood by those who actually attend. From the dances of small children and high school students to those in their twenties—officially, dancers graduate from "Owara Kazeno Bon" at 25. They have been practicing since they were little, and at 25, they reach their peak. Watching the dances of those close to graduation is truly breathtaking. When you imagine what it must be like for a dancer in their final year, it fills you with emotion. The warm gazes of the Yatsuo townspeople watching the dancers, the people playing the kokyū, singing, and playing the shamisen, Japanese traditional musical instruments—some are young, while others have been involved with this festival for a long time. It's about feeling this flow of time, experiencing moments where the past, present, and future merge.


The kokyū music, songs, and shamisen—the music of Owara is incredibly soothing, gentle, and calming.

I have sensitive ears, and I often find the loud sounds of many Japanese festivals overwhelming and hard to bear. But the sounds of "Owara Kazeno Bon" are always calming. When the dance begins, even the audience stops talking and falls silent. I don't think there's another festival quite like it.

That's why, after attending "Owara Kazeno Bon," you continue to feel a pleasant lingering sense of serenity, or lasting emotional resonance even after you return home, while you're sleeping, and the next morning. When you close your eyes, you can hear the gentle sounds of the kokyū, the songs, and the shamisen in your mind—the graceful fingers, the soft yet distinctively elegant dance unique to Owara. This lasting emotional resonance might just be the best part. 　

Why not come to "Owara Kazeno Bon" at least once?


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