Hachinohe Enburi Festival

The Hachinohe Enburi Festival was originally held about 800 years ago to petition the gods for a good growing season and a bountiful harvest. Today it has evolved into a major event that is intended to also hasten the coming of spring.

Particpants perform ritual dances and wear special costumes that mimic clothing worn by farmers hundreds of years ago. They also wear elaborate headgear which is the key to making their petitions come true. The headgear is considered sacred. Dancers’ actions resemble the planting of rice and other farming actions.

Other dancers dress like ancient gods of good fortune. They dance in groups of five and there are about 40 different groups that take part throughout the four days of the festival.

There are four different festival sites locacted in downtown Hachinohe at and near the City Hall.

Directions: To get there, go out the POL Gate and at the 12th traffic light, turn left onto the Michinoku Expressway bypass. Pay the ¥250 toll and get a ticket from the attendant. Continue straight past Shimoda Mall and get off at the Kita Hachinohe exit and pay the toll.

Follow the exit road until you come to a traffic light. Turn right at the light and you will be on Route 45. Follow this road for about 6 KM or 8 traffic lights. There will be a McDonald’s on the corner. Turn right. Proceed for 4 traffic lights and turn right again. Then turn left at the next light which is in front of Hon-Hachinohe station. After about three hundred yards, you will take a hard right that takes you along side City Hall. You can park in the pay parking lot there.

FESTIVALS IN THE
MISAWA AREA

HACHINOHE ENBURI FESTIVAL

17 - 20 February 2008

FESTIVALS IN THE MISAWA AREA