“Karatsu-kunchi” is designated as “Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property” in Japan and is designated as “World Intangible Cultural Heritage” by UNESCO. The festival is held in Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture, Kyushu, on November 2-4 every year. It is the main event of Karatsu in autumn, and it is the biggest event of the year as one of the representative festivals in Kyushu.
The main character of this event is “Yama”. A float made of Japanese paper and lacquer. According to the information, each “Yama” weighs over 2 tons and is up to 6.8 meters, with up to 14 units. Common shapes are helmets, snappers, lions, dragons, etc. The information seems to convey the charm, and I decided not to go to such a festival, so I decided to go see it.
The Karatsu Shrine in Karatsu City is the starting point for the festival parade, and the Yama cruise course and food stalls are all held around it.I originally planned to stay in Karatsu, but when I booked the hotel, all the nearby hotels were fully booked, so I decided to stay in another town and drive on the day.
“Karatsu-kunchi” will be held for 3 days from November 2nd to 4th. I went on November 4th. Before we left, we knew that the road in Karatsu would be blocked during the festival.
I was worried that it would be difficult to find a parking space near the parking lot, which is filled with tourists’ cars.
When I checked, I found that there are many parking lots around “Watada Station” which is a 2-minute drive from “Karatsu Station”. If you park your car at a parking lot near “Watada Station” and head to Karatsu City by train, you will not have to search for a parking space.
If anyone wants to read this and go to the festival, I suggest this access method!
Then, on the day of my trip, I parked my car at a parking lot near “Watada Station” and took a train. By the way, “Watada Station” is a very small station. There is only one station employee at the station and there is no ticket vending machine, so tickets can be purchased from the station employee. You can use Suica, but I’m not sure if you can use other cards.
After waiting about 10 minutes, the train arrived. It takes only 2 minutes to reach Karatsu station, and from the moment you exit the station’s north exit, you can feel the lively atmosphere of the festival. At the exit of the station, there were many small stalls lined up, such as ice cream, Saga beef skewers, and the famous local squid. Of course, there are also many tourists.
In front of the station, there is a statue written as “Karatsu Yama”, which has the shape of the first Yama – Red Lion and is the oldest of the 14 Yama. You can check the Yama cruise course from the website.
＞Karatsu Tourism Association “Karatsu Kunchi”
I followed other tourists, crossed the road and found a statue of Hikiko and a local manhole.
There are also places to take photos, and there are many types of food stalls such as snacks and games. There are many highlights.
Suddenly, the people in front of us began to move to the sideways as if they had found something, and soon after we went in the same direction as the crowd, we saw a large red fish tail fin swinging, and The cruise of Yama had begun.
And the crowd started moving in the other direction, let alone the follow! When I passed the side road and came out on a big road, there were many spectators on both sides of the road, waiting for the passage of Yama.
Everyone was very excited and very lively. While Yama was passing by one by one, both Hikiko and the audience were talking to each other on the accompaniment.
I was able to fully enjoy the local festival culture of Japan.
I’m really happy to be here. It was a wonderful experience!!!
