🏮 Yaya Matsuri
ヤーヤ祭り
Owase, Mie (Owase Shrine and Near the Fish Market) · Every year on 1 February
Official site →140 days to go
Rooms around Owase, Mie fill up while the festival is on.
The Owase Yaya Festival is held every year in Owase, Mie Prefecture, from February 1 to 5, and is the annual festival of Owase Shrine. Men gathered from the old town's 18 neighborhoods parade through the city, and the whole town of Owase is wrapped in festival atmosphere. The festival's name comes from the self-introduction of a Sengoku warlord, beginning with "Ya, ya. I am..." The highlight is the nights of the 2nd through the 4th, when, under lantern light, men dressed in white robes clash bravely with the call of "Chosa ja! Chosa ja!" in the "neri." On the 5th, a colorful daimyo procession with children participating and roadside dances are held, along with a votive archery ceremony in the grounds of Owase Shrine with bonfires lit, bringing the festival to its climax.
Getting there
About 15 minutes on foot from JR Owase Station to Owase Shrine. By car, about 5 minutes from the Owase-Kita IC on the Kisei Expressway.
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Local specialities
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