Travel

Flaming Torches Mark Summer Festival in Wakayama

Wakayama, Jul 16 (News On Japan) - The annual Nachi Fire Festival lit up the stone steps of Kumano Nachi Taisha on Monday in Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, with a dramatic procession of blazing torches and sacred mikoshi shrines.

Known formally as the Nachi Fan Festival, the event is a ritual in which the enshrined deities of the World Heritage-listed Kumano Nachi Taisha are said to return to their original home at Nachi Falls, riding on twelve portable shrines adorned with fans. The festival is also referred to as a fire festival due to the use of massive torches.

Dressed in traditional white garments, local parishioners hoisted torches weighing over 50 kilograms and marched along the shrine path, purifying the route with flames as the mikoshi carrying the gods passed through.

As the torchbearers advanced up the stone staircase, cheers erupted from the crowd of onlookers. When the mikoshi finally reached Nachi Falls, the area was enveloped in an atmosphere of mystical reverence.

Northern Japan Warned of Heavy Snow and Blizzards

A strong winter-pattern pressure system drove the season’s coldest air across the country on November 18th, making snow and rain more likely along the Japan Sea coast while bringing heavy snow and blizzard conditions to parts of northern Japan, with temperatures falling sharply nationwide and even areas that see sunshine experiencing a biting northerly wind.

Japan Is Facing an Unprecedented Surge in Bear Attacks

A reporting team found itself face to face with a bear while investigating the sharp rise in bear-related incidents that has left 13 people dead this year.

Sakurajima Erupts, Sending Plume 4,400 Meters High and Disrupting Flights

Sakurajima erupted in the early hours on October (date not provided in source), sending a plume of ash soaring to 4,400 meters above the crater, the first time it has exceeded 4,000 meters since October last year, with volcanic rocks reaching as far as the sixth station on the mountainside as the volcano continued erupting intermittently throughout the morning and caused ash to fall over Kagoshima Airport, where a thin layer accumulated on aircraft.

JAL Cabin Crew Get OK to Wear Sneakers

Japan Airlines (JAL) has introduced a new policy starting November 13th allowing its cabin crew and ground staff who serve customers at airports to wear sneakers during work hours.

Ski Season Opens in Western Japan

The ski season has officially begun in western Japan, with Grand Snow Okuibuki in Maibara City, Shiga Prefecture, becoming the first resort in the region to open on November 14th.

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