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- Event Report] The 51st Yumoto Onsen Noryo Bon Dance Festival!
Event Report] The 51st Yumoto Onsen Noryo Bon Dance Festival!
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Last updated:
Aug 13, 2016
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About the writer:
Nagato Tourism Convention Association
Nagato Yumoto Onsen Noryo Bon Dance Festival was held!
Nagato Yumoto Onsen in Yamaguchi Prefecture is the oldest hot spring in Yamaguchi Prefecture, having been discovered by Zen Master Teian of Daneiji Temple in the Muromachi period (1427 A.D., 34th year of the Oei Era) during a Zen meditation session, with a blessing from the great god Sumiyoshi. In the midst of the daily heat wave, a "Noryo Bon Dance Festival" was held in the Nagato Yumoto hot spring resort area this evening as a cool breeze blew along the riverside despite the high temperatures. Nagato Yumoto Hot Spring Resort is lined with inns and hotels along the Otosoregawa River, and is usually a relaxing hot spring resort where visitors can take a leisurely stroll along the promenade.
However, during the "Nagato Yumoto Onsen Noryo Bon Dance Festival," the entire promenade is transformed into a large Bon dance venue! The promenade will be filled with dancing people as they make large turns along the river. 
At the Bon Odori Festival in Nagato Yumoto Onsen, unusually, a yagura is erected on Chiyo Bridge, which hangs over the center of the Onshin River. 
The Ondonokawa River is surrounded by a large Bon dance circle centered around that Yagura. In front of a retro public bathhouse called "Ontou," which is an icon of Nagato Yumoto Onsen, a judge is judging the Bon Dancing. 
Between the first and second parts of the Bon Odori dance, a mourning ceremony is held to mourn the departed. In a beautiful atmosphere, lanterns are placed on the Spirit Boat and the souls of the deceased are sent off. 
After the Spirit Float, the fireworks glow in a long cascade of light that continues all the way along the center of the Onshin River! It can be enjoyed from both sides and is very spectacular. 
After the fireworks, the second part of the Bon Odori dance was over and the excitement was at its peak. To add to the excitement, a stage event with a band was also held! Locals and visitors alike joined in the excitement, forming a circle at the end of the event. 
The "Nagato Yumoto Onsen Noryo Bon Dance Festival" is a festival with a lot of fun and can be enjoyed in a very intense way. This festival is held every year, so why don't you join us next year? 
