I was recently featured in a video produced by Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau’s Disaster Recovery Support Office. They decided to produce a set of 3 videos exploring some issues related to post-disaster recovery & revitalization in Iwate Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture & Fukushima Prefecture. These videos all have English subtitles and some interviews are conducted inContinue reading Video Feature: “Never Forget You”
What began over 1,000 years ago as a military training exercise started by the founder of Fukushima Prefecture’s Soma Clan has transformed over the centuries into a fantastic annual festival, where men and women clad in traditional samurai armor compete in various races in order to receive blessings at local shrines. Not only is theContinue reading Soma Nomaoi 2018: Festival Guide
Last weekend I visited the Soma Nomaoi Festival. This 3-day festival takes place during the last weekend of July every year, and is centered around 3 main shrines in Minami Soma and Soma. It is thought that the festival has its roots in a local tradition from the 10th century, when horses were chased andContinue reading Watching Exhilarating Samurais on Horseback - Soma Nomaoi
Odaka Town was evacuated after the nuclear accident in Fukushima Prefecture in 2011, but this year residents have been allowed to return and rebuild their townContinue reading Loss, Acceptance & Rediscovery: Odaka
Every July, Noma Somaoi Festival (“Soma’s Wild Horse Chase”) is held in Minami Soma. Participants enter horse races and other events on horseback event, fully-dressed in samurai-style armour and gripping weapons. What makes this historical re-enactment festival even more exceptional is that there are thousands of participants and attendees, and the tradition has been carried outContinue reading Trying Samurai-Style on for Size
