若草山焼き – Wakakusa Yamayaki

Although the festival starts at noon, the processions and main event don’t start until around 5 PM.  Until then there are a number of small events, the most amusing definitely being the large deer cracker throwing contest, which is very popular with human and deer alike.

Timing-wise it’s nice though as it allows you to observe the afternoon festivities while touring the major sights in Nara, namely Todai-ji and Kasuga Taisha, both of which are within walking distance of Wakakusayama where the festival is to take place.  One thing to note however is that it’s cold.  Really cold.  And it only gets colder as the day goes on.  It was so cold at one point that I considered forgetting the whole thing and going back to the hotel.  But I stayed, and it was worth the suffering.  The other thing to note is that food is hard to find, especially around the festival site, as places get crowded or are reserved in advance by large parties of visitors, so you best plan accordingly.

After watching the sun set, at around 5 PM the ceremony procession left for the mountain and arrived about 15 minutes later.  Then they performed the traditional rituals before lighting up the woodpile prepared for the bonfire at the base of the mountain, a good 10 meters away from the spectators.

Shortly after was a firework show.  Some of them were shaped in the face of deer, which was pretty cute.  It’s at this point, unfortunately, that my camera decided to go stupid on me and I was forced to resort to other methods for taking pictures (in other words, my iPod).

 The fireworks actually set a bit of the grass on fire prematurely, but there was still plenty to burn even after the fireworks were finished.  You might think: “It’s only a fire, big deal.”  But like how autumn leaves or cherry blossoms may not seem like they’re worth such a fuss, it turns out to be spectacular.  I can’t say it was particularly beautiful, but it certainly was amazing.  The force of the fire was awe-inspiring.  It made me think of Oda Nobunaga, actually ^_^; (<– Japanese history nerd for life)

Vital Information:

• Japanese Website

• Starts from 12:00

• Free Admission

• Not Very English Friendly

• Takes place on Wakakusayama in Nara Park