YAMAGA, Kumamoto Prefecture--Even a series of massive earthquakes this spring could not put out the lights on a centuries-old Yamaga lantern festival here and the fantastical scenes that lift the spirits of spectators.
About 1,000 women danced to a local folk ballad on Aug. 16 amid the yellow glow of massed lanterns under soft blue lighting.
The dance, a highlight of the two-day event, was still impacted by the earthquakes that have devastated many municipalities in the prefecture since April, according to the organizer.
There were fewer performers from the town of Mashiki and the village of Minami-Aso, which are among the hardest-hit in the prefecture, compared with previous festivals.
Some of the performers coming from outside Yamaga also said that they could not practice the dance as much as needed because facilities in the prefectural capital of Kumamoto, where they used to rehearse, are not available due to the disaster.
Still, once the festival got under way, the women, clad in traditional “yukata” summer kimono, danced in unison to “Yohehobushi” ballads, enchanting the crowds.
Lanterns, weighing 180 grams each and made of "washi" traditional paper with the frames painted gold, were placed on the performers’ heads.
The festival was held on the grounds of a local elementary school. Last year, it drew 190,000 spectators.
