🏮 Saru no Hi Waraji Matsuri

わらじ祭り

Shima, Mie (Namekiri Shrine) · Every year in late September

Floats

9 days to go
Rooms around Shima, Mie fill up while the festival is on.

The Waraji Matsuri is held around Nakiri Shrine in Daiocho, Shima, Mie Prefecture. It is a traditional event passed down in the Nakiri area, held each year on the Day of the Monkey in September to pray for safety at sea and a bountiful catch. The festival originates from a legend in which villagers drove off a one-eyed, one-legged giant called Dandaraboshi who was ravaging the village by making a giant waraji (straw sandal) and showing it to him. Its historical value was recognized, and in 1971 (Showa 46) it was designated an intangible cultural property of Mie Prefecture. In the waraji-hiki shinji (straw sandal-dragging rite) held on the day, local children serve as chigo (child attendants) and drag a large straw sandal about the size of a tatami mat, parading through the town and carrying it to the sea, where it is set adrift. The gallant rite, rare nationwide, is a highlight.

Getting there

From Kintetsu Ugata Station, take a Mie Kotsu bus for Goza Port for about 20 minutes and get off at Nakiri Uoichiba. By car, about 35 minutes from Shiraki IC on the Daini Ise Road.