Fukuoka "4 Things Familiar About Hakata Gion (Hakata Old Town) " Cucumbers will disappear from the menu during the event?!

The excitement of seeing people wearing long happi coats on the streets of Hakata

 

The Hakata Gion (Hakata Old Town) is held every year from July 1st to 15th in Fukuoka City .

 

It is said to have originated during the Kamakura period, when Shoichi Kokushi ( Enni...the founder of Jotenji Temple ) rode on a segaki shelf and traveled around the city of Hakata praying during an epidemic.

 

Nowadays, the festival is held in the form of "kazariyama," decorated floats fitted with ornaments by Hakata doll makers, and "kakiyama," floats that are carried around the town like a portable shrine.

 

When the event begins on June 1st , you will start to see people wearing long happi coats around the city of Hakata.

 

The designs of long happi coats vary depending on the district (similar to the division of a town), and there are a variety of patterns.

 

When people in long happi coats start walking around town, the people of Hakata start to feel that the Yamakasa is approaching, and they often get excited and check the calendar to see what day of the week July 15th is, the day of the Oiyama.

During the Yamakasa period, long happi coats are worn as formal attire even in Business settings.

 

Long happi coats are considered formal attire during the Yamakasa festival, and are also acceptable for wearing at weddings, funerals, and other ceremonial occasions.

 

Various Yamakasa-related events take place from June 1st , and people involved in each group often return to work still wearing their long happi coats after participating in weekday events.

 

For this reason, it is Familiar to see a person wearing a long happi coat standing alone in a group of people wearing suits in the Business world, holding a meeting as if it were normal.

 

During this period, wearing long happi coats is formal attire, so it's a common occurrence for people who work in the city of Hakata, but some people from outside the prefecture who see the scene for the first time seem to be surprised, saying, "What a stylish town!"

 

The Yamakasa has become a seasonal feature of the city of Hakata, with excitement building up towards the Oiyama on the final day.

 

 

I tend to drink at izakayas until the morning to watch the Yamakasa parade.

 

The grand finale of the Yamakasa festival is the Oiyama on July 15th . The Yamakasa from each stream run along the Oiyama course, about 5km long, from Kushida Shrine to the city of Hakata.

 

Since the event starts at 4:59 am, itFamiliar for many people to kill time at an izakaya (Japanese- style pub) until the morning instead of going home, in order to find a good spot to watch it.

 

Between July 14th and 15th , many restaurants in the area will stay open until the morning, turning Hakata into a city that never sleeps.

 

July 15th , 2024 , falls on a Monday, but it is Marine Day, a national holiday. We expect it to be bustling with locals and Tourism alike!

 

Check social media etc. and make your reservation early.

During the Yamakasa period, cucumbers are not on the menu even at elementary schools.

 

The traditional Hakata Gion (Hakata Old Town) festival has a few things that are considered taboo.

 

The most famous one is "Don't eat cucumbers during this period."

 

The reason for this is said to be that the perspectives of a cucumber resembles the quince flower, which is the sacred crest of the deity enshrined in Yamakasa, and it is considered rude to put the sacred crest in one's mouth .

 

Even today, between July 1st and July 15th , the people who carry the Yamakasa floats remove the cucumbers from their food.

 

What's more, during this period it is Familiar for the word "cucumber" to disappear from elementary school lunch menus.

 

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I believe that every town in Japan has a festival that the locals can be proud of. I also feel that the Hakata Gion (Hakata Old Town) is a festival that I can be proud of as a Fukuoka citizen. Please come to Hakata this summer to see the Hakata Gion (Hakata Old Town) Yamakasa! I guarantee you will be moved.

 

>> Click here for the Hakata Gion (Hakata Old Town) schedule

 

 

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★You might also want to read this article about "Familiar Fukuoka"

・Three things Familiar at Fukuoka festivals
＞＞https://fukuoka-leapup.jp/common/202009.116

・4 things to Familiar about Kushida Shrine in Fukuoka
＞＞https://fukuoka-leapup.jp/common/202404.27560