UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage “Ara Odori” Ara Odori was offered on September 28th 🐵 Registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, this Ara Odori captivates viewers with vivid costumes and powerful dance 👀✨ This year the event took place indoors because of rain, which concentrated the excitement! 🔥 The audience was closer to the performance, creating an even more immersive experience 👍 Supporting this tradition is the future of the community ✨ Alongside local adults, children from Sakamoto Elementary performed with serious expressions as they carry the dance forward, earning big applause 👏

Commemorative Celebration for the Registration of Gokase Ara-odori as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Today, Sunday, December 1, a celebratory gathering was held at the Ara-Odori Hall in the Sakamoto district to mark the registration of “Gokase Ara-odori” as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in February of Reiwa 3 (2021).👏✨ Because the registration around Reiwa 3 fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, holding a celebration then was difficult, so today’s event was finally realized.🥹 After the opening, the ceremony proceeded smoothly with greetings from the Ara-Odori Preservation Society and congratulatory messages from guests, followed by kagami-biraki (sake barrel opening) accompanied by the powerful sounds of Ara-odori drums, bells, and matchlock gun volleys.🍶🔨 Later, Mr. Fujimoto, the lead dancer, gave the toast and the banquet began.👏 It was a wonderful gathering where members of the Ara-Odori Preservation Society, the dancers and their families all shared their various feelings about Ara-odori.😌 During the banquet, the host conducted interviews in which, somewhat shyly, everyone spoke passionately about Ara-odori.🤭✨ When people had enjoyed enough sake and conversation, the event concluded with three cheers of banzai.🙌🙌🙌 In Miyazaki, a land that preserves many traditional performing arts such as kagura, the registration of Gokase Ara-odori as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage truly felt like a great achievement.😳 Going forward, we hope these traditional performing arts, preserved and passed down in each district, will continue to be treasured.✨

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage "Ara Odori" on Sunday, September 29 Ara Odori took place on Sunday, September 29 🐵💫 The sunny weather was almost hot and great for photos, but I imagine it was truly tough for everyone who spent the whole day dancing in costume. Well done to all of you 👏 I was amazed to see so many people each memorizing their roles, dances, and songs to perform a single dance together 😳✨ Elementary school students joined in and danced Ara Odori partway through, and it moved me to see this tradition being passed down to people of all ages 🥹 I heard that Ara Odori used to ban women long ago, but even as the form has changed with the times, I felt a strong community spirit to protect the tradition together 💪✨ Today, students from Gokase Junior High School, who hope to share more of Gokase Town’s charm and traditions and make the town more vibrant, spent the whole day filming the Ara Odori on video for us 📸💡 We should be able to share that video soon, so look forward to it 🤗💕

Ogatsu District, Akita Prefecture Ugo Town "Nishimonai Bon Dancing" Nishimonai no Bon Odori is a Bon Dancing that has been passed down to Ugo Town Nishimonai Ogatsu District, Akita Prefecture. Nationally designated Important Intangible folk cultural assets and UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

The garland bayashi is dedication as a festival bayashi of Koinari Shrine, the god of the soil where the garland is produced. It is an event where 10 gorgeous stalls parade through the towns all night on the enthusiastic music of young people! The wreath palm is registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage and a nationally designated Important Intangible Cultural Property. (This will be the second piece of the wreath palm)