2011年10月31日
Busshozan Fall Festival cont'd
The Busshozan Daimyō Gyoretsu festival was created to revitalize the local community. I asked one of the organizers what impact it has had. His response:
“It has strengthened the connections between people. Since we began doing this, local people have become more involved in other community activities year-round and it's created a vibrant and very friendly atmosphere in the town. People get involved in the festival because they take pride in the community and in their heritage, not out of a sense of obligation. We do it for Busshozan, not for ourselves.”

My very helpful informant
This community spirit was in evidence everywhere and for me it was one of the fun things about the festival. It is supported almost entirely by volunteers and the whole community gets involved. The volunteer fire department is responsible for crowd and traffic control. Community cultural groups like the local band and an Okinawan dancing troupe join in the parade.

Band

Ryukyu dancers
School children dressed in a combination of period garb and school gym clothes race ahead of the procession, supposedly carrying important messages for the daimyo. They have to solve difficult quiz questions along the way as they compete to reach the goal.


Members of an organization for the preservation of ancient firearms launches the parade with a deafening volley of shots. And all participants in the parade except for a few professional swordfighters are volunteers.

Very cool swordfighting hero
Some volunteers come from as far away as Hiroshima and Tokyo and many are repeaters, such as these beautiful ladies here.

The woman on the left is seventy (though she doesn't look it!!) and comes from Marugame, about 1 hour away from Takamatsu. This is her second time to participate. The girl beside her is a junior high school student. They both do it because it's fun! Just for your information, anyone can join. It's advertised each year in the Takamatsu city bulletin so keep your eyes open. There are only 50 spots available though and it's first come first served.
It's good to go a bit early to find a good viewing spot because it gets quite jammed. Being short and also a bit shy, I got lots of crowd shots.

There are several places along the parade route where the procession is attacked by would-be assassins and defeated by what I assume must be the captain of the guard. (See Pat's blog for photos.) It's quite exciting and fun to watch but for the best view, you need to stake out a place. The first attack occurs just after the parade begins. Two more attacks occur along the road (you can tell because that's where it's most crowded), culminating in a final attack in the park. The give and take is quite humorous and even though I had to peer over many heads to see, it was still fun to watch.

Crowd starting to gather at strategic point
The parade route is lined with historic buildings. Many community groups and businesses rent space along here to sell their wares and advertise their services. Such as this group from a local osteopath offering free massages along with demonstrations of curious therapeutic goods.


A leg massage anyone?
This group from a daycare center for the elderly is selling goods to support disaster relief efforts in northern Japan.

Daycare center moss ball bonsai
There are also various types of entertainment, such as this juggling act provided by students from Takamatsu's technical college, Kosen.

Jugglers
In Busshozan Park, the final destination of the procession, there are countless booths and kiosks selling food, plants, and other local products. The proceeds fund the different groups' activities for the year. Community groups specializing in different performing arts also take this opportunity to showcase their talents on the open-air stage. There's lots going on and it's fun to just wander about.

Open air stage
Another good point: Apparently, the festival has increased environmental consciousness. Students from the local schools collect, separate and recycle the garbage during the festival. “We managed to reduce 3 truckloads worth of garbage this way, which has saved us a lot of money." As I sat enjoying a snack in the park, my garbage was indeed whisked politely away by a student volunteer.

One of many student-manned garbage stations at the festival
With or without the festival, Busshozan is a great place to visit and I hope to post a few more articles on it in the future. For anyone free on November 3, 2011, there's a big lantern festival with hundreds of lanterns planned along the historic shopping street up to Honeji Temple from 13:30 to 20:00 to celebrate the completion of the temple's new pagoda. Enjoy!
Access:
I recommend going by train, not car, when the festival is on because it's very crowded. It's extremely easy to reach Busshozan by Kotoden train. There are 3 trains per hour and it's only an 18-minute ride from Takamatsu Chikko Station right beside Tamamo Park at the Takamatsu port (620 yen round trip). Get off at Busshozan station and turn left once you get outside. Just a short distance down past the convenience store is the starting point of the festival. There are lots of friendly volunteers dressed in bright pink, yellow and green jackets so ask if you feel lost. It takes about 20 minutes brisk walk to Honenji Temple and the park but during the festival there is lots to see along the way so expect to take longer. When the procession is in full swing, if you need to get ahead, it's OK to weave your way politely through the parade itself as people frequently stop the participants to take photos.
“It has strengthened the connections between people. Since we began doing this, local people have become more involved in other community activities year-round and it's created a vibrant and very friendly atmosphere in the town. People get involved in the festival because they take pride in the community and in their heritage, not out of a sense of obligation. We do it for Busshozan, not for ourselves.”

My very helpful informant
This community spirit was in evidence everywhere and for me it was one of the fun things about the festival. It is supported almost entirely by volunteers and the whole community gets involved. The volunteer fire department is responsible for crowd and traffic control. Community cultural groups like the local band and an Okinawan dancing troupe join in the parade.
Band
Ryukyu dancers
School children dressed in a combination of period garb and school gym clothes race ahead of the procession, supposedly carrying important messages for the daimyo. They have to solve difficult quiz questions along the way as they compete to reach the goal.
Members of an organization for the preservation of ancient firearms launches the parade with a deafening volley of shots. And all participants in the parade except for a few professional swordfighters are volunteers.
Very cool swordfighting hero
Some volunteers come from as far away as Hiroshima and Tokyo and many are repeaters, such as these beautiful ladies here.
The woman on the left is seventy (though she doesn't look it!!) and comes from Marugame, about 1 hour away from Takamatsu. This is her second time to participate. The girl beside her is a junior high school student. They both do it because it's fun! Just for your information, anyone can join. It's advertised each year in the Takamatsu city bulletin so keep your eyes open. There are only 50 spots available though and it's first come first served.
It's good to go a bit early to find a good viewing spot because it gets quite jammed. Being short and also a bit shy, I got lots of crowd shots.
There are several places along the parade route where the procession is attacked by would-be assassins and defeated by what I assume must be the captain of the guard. (See Pat's blog for photos.) It's quite exciting and fun to watch but for the best view, you need to stake out a place. The first attack occurs just after the parade begins. Two more attacks occur along the road (you can tell because that's where it's most crowded), culminating in a final attack in the park. The give and take is quite humorous and even though I had to peer over many heads to see, it was still fun to watch.
Crowd starting to gather at strategic point
The parade route is lined with historic buildings. Many community groups and businesses rent space along here to sell their wares and advertise their services. Such as this group from a local osteopath offering free massages along with demonstrations of curious therapeutic goods.

A leg massage anyone?
This group from a daycare center for the elderly is selling goods to support disaster relief efforts in northern Japan.
Daycare center moss ball bonsai
There are also various types of entertainment, such as this juggling act provided by students from Takamatsu's technical college, Kosen.

Jugglers
In Busshozan Park, the final destination of the procession, there are countless booths and kiosks selling food, plants, and other local products. The proceeds fund the different groups' activities for the year. Community groups specializing in different performing arts also take this opportunity to showcase their talents on the open-air stage. There's lots going on and it's fun to just wander about.
Open air stage
Another good point: Apparently, the festival has increased environmental consciousness. Students from the local schools collect, separate and recycle the garbage during the festival. “We managed to reduce 3 truckloads worth of garbage this way, which has saved us a lot of money." As I sat enjoying a snack in the park, my garbage was indeed whisked politely away by a student volunteer.
One of many student-manned garbage stations at the festival
With or without the festival, Busshozan is a great place to visit and I hope to post a few more articles on it in the future. For anyone free on November 3, 2011, there's a big lantern festival with hundreds of lanterns planned along the historic shopping street up to Honeji Temple from 13:30 to 20:00 to celebrate the completion of the temple's new pagoda. Enjoy!
Access:
I recommend going by train, not car, when the festival is on because it's very crowded. It's extremely easy to reach Busshozan by Kotoden train. There are 3 trains per hour and it's only an 18-minute ride from Takamatsu Chikko Station right beside Tamamo Park at the Takamatsu port (620 yen round trip). Get off at Busshozan station and turn left once you get outside. Just a short distance down past the convenience store is the starting point of the festival. There are lots of friendly volunteers dressed in bright pink, yellow and green jackets so ask if you feel lost. It takes about 20 minutes brisk walk to Honenji Temple and the park but during the festival there is lots to see along the way so expect to take longer. When the procession is in full swing, if you need to get ahead, it's OK to weave your way politely through the parade itself as people frequently stop the participants to take photos.
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Cathy Hirano キャシー ヒラノ
I've lived in Japan since 1978. After graduating from a Japanese university with a BA in cultural anthropology in 1983, I worked as a translator in a Japanese consulting engineering firm in Tokyo for several years. My Japanese husband and I moved to Takamatsu in 1987 to raise our two children in a slower-paced environment away from the big city pressures. We've never regretted it. I work as a freelance translator and interpreter and am involved in a lot of community work, including volunteering for Second Hand, a local NGO that supports educational and vocational training initiatives in Cambodia, and for the Takamatsu International Association. I love living in Takamatsu.
Cathy Hirano キャシー ヒラノ
I've lived in Japan since 1978. After graduating from a Japanese university with a BA in cultural anthropology in 1983, I worked as a translator in a Japanese consulting engineering firm in Tokyo for several years. My Japanese husband and I moved to Takamatsu in 1987 to raise our two children in a slower-paced environment away from the big city pressures. We've never regretted it. I work as a freelance translator and interpreter and am involved in a lot of community work, including volunteering for Second Hand, a local NGO that supports educational and vocational training initiatives in Cambodia, and for the Takamatsu International Association. I love living in Takamatsu.
Posted by cathy at 13:40│Comments(4)
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この記事へのコメント
Great stuff as usual. I'd love to write bigger entries like this, but eh, my blog is probably going to stay terrible.
I apologize for the sad state of my own blog; it's mostly just a way for people in Japan to find me an realize that I'm alive, as my former employer has surely told them I am either dead or not in Japan anymore, if not both ;)
If the city would dish out some assignments, I could certainly churn out things like the above, though. Should I write some samples that are actually good? I can, if need be. Let me know :)
I apologize for the sad state of my own blog; it's mostly just a way for people in Japan to find me an realize that I'm alive, as my former employer has surely told them I am either dead or not in Japan anymore, if not both ;)
If the city would dish out some assignments, I could certainly churn out things like the above, though. Should I write some samples that are actually good? I can, if need be. Let me know :)
Posted by heathsensei
at 2011年10月31日 18:34

Hi Heath,
Thanks for reading the blog. No apologies necessary as far as I know and it's great to know you're alive!
The city doesn't give out specific assignments as far as I know. At the beginning of the year, they did give Pat and me a wish list of topics they'd like to have covered and sometimes they send us information about an event. But we can basically choose places and things we are interested in and write about those. i.e. we go out and have fun in Takamatsu and then share it on the web. Hopefully what we write is coherent enough for other people to find and enjoy those same things if they're interested. That's basically why I do it. I like Takamatsu and I'd like other people to enjoy it, too.
Thanks for reading the blog. No apologies necessary as far as I know and it's great to know you're alive!
The city doesn't give out specific assignments as far as I know. At the beginning of the year, they did give Pat and me a wish list of topics they'd like to have covered and sometimes they send us information about an event. But we can basically choose places and things we are interested in and write about those. i.e. we go out and have fun in Takamatsu and then share it on the web. Hopefully what we write is coherent enough for other people to find and enjoy those same things if they're interested. That's basically why I do it. I like Takamatsu and I'd like other people to enjoy it, too.
Posted by cathy hirano at 2011年11月02日 15:16
Ah, thanks for the reply.
When this project originally started back in 2008, they were offering transit to certain places and occasional subsidies for blogs on the topics of things like bonsai, local cuisine, and art.
I wonder if the city would pick something like that up again rather than Ashita-Sanuki, which I have a feeling is hard for most English-speakers to locate, if they don't already know about it like you and I do. But gah, I'm getting ahead of myself with big ideas here. ^^;;
-Heath
When this project originally started back in 2008, they were offering transit to certain places and occasional subsidies for blogs on the topics of things like bonsai, local cuisine, and art.
I wonder if the city would pick something like that up again rather than Ashita-Sanuki, which I have a feeling is hard for most English-speakers to locate, if they don't already know about it like you and I do. But gah, I'm getting ahead of myself with big ideas here. ^^;;
-Heath
Posted by heathsensei
at 2011年11月02日 15:33

That's not just logic. That's really sesnilbe.
Posted by Symona at 2012年01月29日 09:21
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