Tired of Kyoto?
Then let’s go to Naruko Onsen!
Kokeshi St. in Naruko Onsen
Have you heard of the ‘All Japan Kokeshi Festival’? It’s a unique festival held every year on the first Saturday and Sunday of September in Naruko Onsen, Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.
I’ve posted details in past blogs, so please check them out. It’s been over a year since I wrote Part 1 of this blog.
All Japan Kokeshi Festival Part.1
Festival stalls lined up
Now, what I want to share this time is that the festival parade is fantastic!
Incredibly surreal and amazing. You won’t find a festival like this anywhere else in the world! Parade highlights include Haribote kokeshi dolls, people with only kokeshi heads, elegant dances by ladies, and the Sendai Sparrow Dance!
To convey the charm, I’ll be sharing plenty of photos, so please take a look and imagine the delightful parade!
The parade kicks off with lively music!
Beautiful Kimono!!
Here comes a giant walking Kokeshi !!
Thank you for the fan service!!
The place is teeming with Kokeshi dolls !!
This is true Kijiyama-style Kokeshi doll !!
A person with a Kokeshi head !!
Sendai sparrow dance is coming !!
Cute childrens are also dancing!
The parade usually starts on the first day of the festival at 18:30. It’s advisable to have dinner before that or around 19:30, as many Naruko Onsen accommodations require advance dinner reservations.
Here’s the official website with abundant photos and the fantastic dancing kokeshi.
Since it’s not available in English, copy and paste the text into Google Translate if you want to know more.
All Japan Kokeshi Festival Official Web site
Have a great time in Naruko Onsen !!