Kamakura Festival in Yokote, Akita
February’s destination is the castle town of Yokote, in the northiest north of Akita prefecture. For two days every year (February 15-16), the town’s children offer toasted rice cakes and sweet sake to visitors inside tiny traditional igloos (kamakura) built all over town.
Each kamakura is a shrine to the water deity responsible for plentiful rain and abundant harvests, and visitors traditionally leave an offering in exchange for their sake and mochi.
Townsfolk and visitors meander the streets in the shadow of the castle, visiting each little igloo.
and warming themselves at the flaming braziers dotted about the landscape
The vast lawn in front of the elementary school becomes a sea of fairy igloos, each made by a child
and furnished with a wish drawing and a candle
Other small, personal igloos cluster beneath the silent snowy trees
filled with more adult hopes and dreams
Snowy sentinels and glowing kamakura line the route to the castle
which sits on a hill, in all its snowy glory
The surrounding forest makes a picture-perfect backdrop for the candlelit igloos
and the local river is lined with trees right out of a winter wonderland
Several of the main streets bustle with festival booths selling hot food, warm sake, and cold beer
And this is definitely your big chance to stock up on igloo memorabilia at the shops downtown
On the day after the festival (the 17th), giant Q-tip-like offerings known as bonden are paraded to the local shrine by boisterous teams of men, all vying to get theirs through the gate first
Sadly, I missed the good-natured jousting at the shrine, because I had to leave bright and early to see Fox Village in the snow on my way back to Tokyo. Next time, I’m definitely staying for this friendly melee!
Dates: February 16-17 every year
Here’s where Yokote is:
It takes a little over three hours to get there by train from Tokyo, but it’s a pretty easy trip – there’s a long stretch on a bullet train, then a short hop on the local line. As always with winter travel in Japan, snow can slow down all forms of transportation, but trains are the most reliable way to get there, in all kinds of weather.
Here’s how to get to Yokote from Tokyo Station:
I used the Japan Navigation phone app to figure out this route, and you can easily use it too, with your actual date and preferred arrival time. It’s also good for finding the easiest way to get to Ueno Station from where you’re staying. Here’s where to get the app and how to use it.
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
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