Image search results - "Minami" - JAPAN PHOTOS by Philbert Ono

Image search results - "Minami"

Minami-Chitose Station

Minami Sanno Matsuri Festival is held annually on April 4 by Hieda Jinja Shrine in Okubo and Seon (大窪、清雲). 南山王の祭 Map

Minami Sanno Matsuri Festival is like a picnic under streamers called hoinobori.

The hoinobori are carried from the respective parishioners neighborhoods to this park next to the shrine.

Minami Sanno Matsuri Festival. For a few hours, they gather under the hoinobori with food and drinks.

View from Hieda Shrine.

Minami Sanno Matsuri Festival in Hino, Shiga.

Under a hoinobori, made of bamboo strips wrapped with paper and attached with paper flowers, usually pink.

Hoinobori paper flower.

Hieda Shrine

Higashi-Yamato Minami Park is a large park with greenery and sports facilities. One interesting edifice is the former Hitachi Aircraft Transformer Substation pockmarked with bullet holes from World War II. The park was formerly the US Air Force's Yamato Air Station. Before that from 1938 and during World War II, it was the site of a military aircraft engine factory. Near Tamagawa Josui Station on the Seibu Haijima Line.

Tamagawa Josui Station

Former Hitachi Aircraft Transformer Substation pockmarked with bullet holes from World War II. 旧日立航空機立川工場変電所

From 1938 and during World War II, Higashi-Yamato Minami Park was the site of a military aircraft engine factory. This transfomer substation supplied power to

Memorial for the workers at the Hitachi Aircraft engine factory who died from aerial bombings by the US during World War II.

Back of former Hitachi Aircraft Transformer Substation.

Side of former Hitachi Aircraft Transformer Substation.

My YouTube video of the 2023 Minami-Koshigaya Awa Odori dance festival.

The 25th Minami-Koshigaya Awa Odori was held during Aug. 21-23, 2009. I saw it on the 22nd. The 21st was the festival eve when they had dance performances in the community center. The festival's main days were the 22nd and 23rd.

The Minami-Koshigaya Awa Odori is held annually near Shin-Koshigaya Station (Tobu ISezaki, Hanzomon, and Hibiya Lines) and JR Minami-Koshigaya Station (Musashino Line). These two train stations almost intersect.

Map of the festival venues. There are no less than seven venues where you can watch Awa Odori dances by 66 dance troupes. One venue is indoors at the Koshigaya Community Center.

Koshigaya Community Center.

On both the 22nd and 23rd, they held Awa Odori performances inside the Koshigaya Community Center. Part 1 was held during 2 pm to 4:30 pm, and Part 2 during 5:30 pm to 8:45 pm.

I watched the indoor performance inside the Koshigaya Community Center on Aug. 22, 2009 from 2 pm to 4:30 pm.

At first I thought that Awa Odori was meant to be performed outdoors, and it wouldn't be the same watching it in a large hall.

But it was nice to watch it on stage in a large hall as well. Although I still prefer seeing Awa Odori outdoors where you can see it in a continuous procession.

During the 2.5-hour performance, numerous Awa Odori dance troupes performed colorfully to live music.

MInami-Koshigaya Awa Odori Dance, indoor performance. 南越谷阿波踊り

Anybody could take pictures, but flash was not allowed.

Shadow dancing

Toward the end, they had a special joint group of dancers from all the Koshigaya Awa Odori troupes performing together on stage.

So you can see that they are wearing different costumes.

This joint session of Minami-Koshigaya Awa Odori dance troupes was the best performance of all, I thought.

Also see my YouTube video here.

The final performance was by a troupe from Tokushima.

Niji (Rainbow) was the name of the troupe.

The hall is emptied as people waiting to see Part 2 were waiting outside.

Next to the community center was this small outdoor stage.

This is the Minami-Koshigaya Chuo-dori road venue. This is the main and most crowded venue. It's not that long though.

At 5:10 pm, the Minami-Koshigaya Awa Odori started at all the main venues outdoors.

A major problem with the Minami-Koshigaya Chuo-dori road was that they had 5 or 6 press photographers who kept getting in the way. 報道陣がとても邪魔、迷惑。５〜６人の報道人は多すぎるぞ。

The press photographers were such a problem at Minami-Koshigaya Chuo-dori road that I left after 10 min.

Next to Minami-Koshigaya Chuo-dori road and in front of the train station was this outdoor stage called ekimae Kumi-odori Kaijo. 駅前組踊り会場

It was just a small stage with seats for the audience.

The scene in front of the train station. The outdoor stage in the forefront, and the Minami-Koshigaya Chuo-dori road on the upper right.

Minami-Koshigaya Chuo-dori road's starting point.

Donations for the festival.

On the opposite side of the train station on the west side (nishi-guchi) is the other main venue called the Nishiguchi Ekimae-dori. This was less crowded, and fewer photographers.

Nishiguchi Ekimae-dori, starting point for the dancers.

Minami-Koshigaya Awa Odori on Nishiguchi Ekimae-dori. This road was also quite short, only a few hundred meters.

Also see my YouTube video here.

Less crowded than the other side.

Grou[ photo of Aoishin-ren, one of the best Awa Odori troupes in the world. More photos of them later. 葵新連

I was curious to see all the dance venues. A short walk away was this Nishiguchi Minami-dori road. It was smaller and less crowded.

Nishiguchi Minami-dori

I liked this road because we could take front and center photos of the dancers.

Minami-Koshigaya Awa Odori, Saitama Prefecture.

Foinally, I moved to another venue across the road called Higashiguchi Minami-dori road.

The problem with this place were all these poles on the sides. Bad for picture-taking unless you are sitting on the front row. The lights also turned out very yellow, and my camera could not color balance it well.