Mentai-ju News vol.5

The Hakata Gion Yamakasa is a festival that colors Fukuoka's summer. It is a dedication ceremony to Kushida Shrine and is one of the three major festivals in Hakata, held every year from July 1st to 15th. Its official name is the Kushida Shrine Gion Annual Festival, and it has been designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan and an Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO.
It has a long history, originating from people going around the town sprinkling sacred water to purify the town and pray for the elimination of epidemics, and has been going on for over 780 years since the Kamakura period.

The Yamakasa are famous throughout the country, but the highlight of the festival is the Oiyama, when huge Kakiyama floats weighing over one ton run through the streets of Hakata.
The Oiyama begins at 4:59 on July 15th, the final day of the Yamakasa festival. Despite the early hour, over one million fans and tourists from around the country watch as brave men from seven districts, known as Shichinagare, carry the Kakiyama along a 5km route through the city, heading for the destination called Mawaridome.

By the way, it is taboo for participants to eat cucumbers during the Yamakasa festival. This is because cucumbers resemble the Japanese quince flower, which is the sacred crest of Gion-no-kami (Susanoo-no-mikoto), the deity worshipped in Yamakasa, and so people refrained from putting them in their mouths, as it was considered disrespectful.
During the Yamakasa period, we will be offering products that use cucumbers in our store, but with different ingredients. Be sure to look for the special menu that is only available during this period.

Preparations for the Yamakasa festival are underway and the city of Hakata is heating up.
This year marks the first regular event in four years, and Fukuoka Municipal Subway special trains will also resume!
Take this opportunity to visit Hakata!