As a Japanese native, let me tell you one thing: the origins of the Wakakusa Yamayaki festival are unclear. But one thing is certain: it’s a lot of fun!
Hi, I’m Miyaki Ayuzawa, a mother of a gorgeous baby boy, and the wife of a loving, supportive husband. As a professional photographer, I’ve always had a thing for eccentric things and adventure.
From special events to underwater photography, I’ve seen it all, done it all! But the Wakakusa festival was different.
It was a chance to explore my heritage, and most importantly, it was a way to bond with my family.
As a photographer, I have to travel quite a bit so I don’t always get the time to go to events with my family. But this time, it was different. I wasn’t going on a work trip, I was going there as a mother and a wife.
So what is the Wakakusa festival? Basically, every year, we set fire to the grass on the hillside of Nara Park. There’s no reason why but legend has it that it started because of boundary disputes between the two temples in Nara.
Don’t worry, though. Everyone is safe and there are professionals involved to make sure nobody gets injured!
When we arrived at the event, the ceremony had already started. I was worried we would miss the burning of the hillside but we had made it to the event in time! I wanted my son, Yu, to see this because right after they set the grass ablaze, the sky is lit with hundreds of beautiful and vibrant fireworks!
I had specifically dressed him in a kimono so that he could get in touch with traditional side of his heritage. When the hillside was set on fire, the fire quickly spread within seconds!
It was an amazing sight to see, and right after that, there were fireworks. I can’t exactly describe the feelings because there are no words to describe how incredibly amazing the whole experience was!
But one thing is certain: we’ll be coming back next year as well!
After the event, we enjoyed some traditional dango and bought some rice cakes as well. Yu really liked the dango sold outside the park on our way back. The festival had tons of hawkers and stalls lined with delicious Japanese foods like yakitori, watame, yakisoba, and ikayaki. Desserts consisted of mochi, dorayaki, daifuku and crepes. I didn’t have any but my husband has a sweet-tooth so he bought himself and Yu some mochi.
One of the things that it taught me was that no matter what, blood is thicker than water and the time spent with loved ones is precious. As a working mother, the time I spend with Yu is something that is irreplaceable and spending time with him during the event taught me that.
If you’re planning a trip to Japan, make sure to get into the essence of the culture! You won’t regret it. It was truly an amazing experience, spending time with my family. A few things in life come close and I don’t think any photograph can capture the true essence of the time we spent together that day!
