The Matsuri in Fukushima city this weekend was a resounding success with a turn-out of 250,000 people over the two days. The lesser event here in Koriyama attracted 200,000. It was designed to show the world that people here are fit and well and fighting back. And it certainly did that. A big thank you to all the performers, not just from northern Japan but from all over the country who made it a success. We watched the parade in Koriyama and it was magnificent. It's amazing how different the festivals are in different parts of the country. Here are a few photos to give you a feel for it.
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| Drummers from a local school |
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| Young men from Aizu |
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| Young girl from Aizu getting into the Yae role |
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| Noh dancers from Masuda in Shimane prefecture |
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| Same |
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| Flower dance from Yamagata |
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| Dragon dance from Nagasaki. About 10 men with sticks waved the dragon round and round. |
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| Refined dance from Sado Island |
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| Flowing costumes and clickety sandals from Niigata. |
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| A huge helium filled dragon from Saitama. (It had trouble manoeuvring the traffic lights!) |
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| Another dragon, with lanterns and firecrackers, from Fukuoka. |
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| And for me, the highlight. The huge decorated paper lanterns from the Nebuta festival in Aomori. |
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