In this season, festivals used to be held here and there in Japan, such as in schools, communities, and Shinto shrines.
However, because of the pandemic some of them are canceled or some are simplified.
A shrine close to my house used to hold large scaled autumn festival and attract many people. These photos were taken in 2019.
In the precinct of the shrine stalls were temporally set up to sell variety of foods and toys. It was like Christmas markets in European countries.
The main event of the festival was mikoshi (portable shrines) strolling.
Inside the beautifully decorated portable shrines the shinto God is supposed to sit there. The portable shrines are so heavy that many people have to cooperate to carry it around the town.
In the precincts of the shrine local people performed music and dance to dedicate to the God.
In the vicinity of the shrine, dancing festival were held at evening.
The detail of the festival varied region to region, yet almost the same things were carried out throughout Japan in normal years.
However, since the Covid-19 pandemic began, those festivals have disappeared for fear that the festival should become “a festival for the virus”. Festivals can’t be held without people’s gathering (and drinking alcohol).
Many Japanese hope that the bustling return to the shrine.
