（３７６） Ｆｅｓｔｉｖａｌ Ｔｓｕｋｕｂａ ２０２３ （１）
文字数 3,425文字
“Matsuri Tsukuba” or “Festival Tsukuba” is a summer festival held in Tsukuba City on the last Saturday and Sunday of August, and the number of visitors usually exceeds 400,000 in two days.
Tsukuba City is an artificially created research city, so there are many people from other regions and foreign countries, and a wide variety of cultures are mixed. Festival Tsukuba is a festival where anything goes without sticking to local traditional culture.
The highlight is the evening parade of famous festival events from around the country. During the parade, the Tsuchiura Gakuen Road, which is sandwiched between Nishi Odori and Higashi Odori, is closed to traffic.
Parade events sometimes include the Akita Kanto Festival (秋田竿灯祭り) and the Tokyo Disney Resort Special Parade. They also feature paper mache floats called “Nebuta.”
Recently, Aomori's Nebuta Festival, Sapporo's Yosakoi Soran, and portable shrines have often been included in Festival Tsukuba. In 2023, five large Nebuta appeared.
I heard that the evening session would be long and very crowded, so I left the night photography to Dad. I only went there in the morning.
The Amabiki Kannon that appears on the Nebuta of “Amabiki Kannon Madara Kishin” is previously introduced in chapters 231, 232, and 366.
①This is Chuo Park. Tents for festival events are lined up. Now, we’re going to the center plaza.
②You can see the center plaza. The stairs on the right lead to the bus center and Tsukuba Station.
③I am in front of stalls. Since it is mid-morning, many stalls are getting ready.
④ This is a stall which sells Turkish "stretchy ice cream(のびるアイスクリーム)". Matsuri Tsukuba has street food from all over the world.
⑤ We’ve arrived in front of the stage in the center plaza.
⑥ This is the stage of Festival Tsukuba 2023.
⑦ This is the stage of the festival.
⑧ This is the Expo float made for the 1985 Tsukuba Science Expo. It was restored and has been appearing at Matsuri Tsukuba since 2007.
⑨ A fox is dancing on the roof.
⑩ The box on the roof has extended into a second tier. On the first tier, the Mayor of Tsukuba is giving the opening address of the parade.
⑪ This is Tsukuba's original balloon Nebuta. This was made in 2009.
⑫ The back side of the balloon Nebuta is the city bird owl. Dusk is approaching.
⑬ This is this year's (2023) newly made Nebuta "Kato Kiyomasa(加藤清正)", who is said to have killed a tiger. It was created by Nebuta master, Kitamura Renmei(北村蓮明).
⑭ This is the back of "Kato Kiyomasa". There are Kintaro (金太郎), Momotaro (桃太郎), and an ogre (鬼).
⑮ This is a close-up photo of ⑭.
⑯ This is "Amabiki Kannon Madara Kishin (雨引観音 マダラ鬼神)", which was also created by Kitamura Renmei(北村蓮明). At Amehiki Kannon's traditional Madara Kishin Festival, the Kishin appears on a white horse and performs a demon dance in which he powerfully waves a torch.
⑰This is a close-up photo of Madara Kishin (マダラ鬼神).
⑱ This is the back of "Amabiki Kannon Madara Kishin". It depicts traditional features of Amabiki Kannon, such as horses, peacocks, hydrangeas, and stone lanterns. I’ll introduce the remaining Nebuta photos in the next chapter.
⑲ P.S. I’m playing with “Ramune” bottles in a summer festival mood.
⑳ P.S. I'm in front of the Ramune bottles.
㉑ P.S. I'm paying attention to the shaved ice(かき氷) at the summer festival garland.
㉒ P.S. The garland's rope is connected to the Ramune bottles.
Tsukuba City is an artificially created research city, so there are many people from other regions and foreign countries, and a wide variety of cultures are mixed. Festival Tsukuba is a festival where anything goes without sticking to local traditional culture.
The highlight is the evening parade of famous festival events from around the country. During the parade, the Tsuchiura Gakuen Road, which is sandwiched between Nishi Odori and Higashi Odori, is closed to traffic.
Parade events sometimes include the Akita Kanto Festival (秋田竿灯祭り) and the Tokyo Disney Resort Special Parade. They also feature paper mache floats called “Nebuta.”
Recently, Aomori's Nebuta Festival, Sapporo's Yosakoi Soran, and portable shrines have often been included in Festival Tsukuba. In 2023, five large Nebuta appeared.
I heard that the evening session would be long and very crowded, so I left the night photography to Dad. I only went there in the morning.
The Amabiki Kannon that appears on the Nebuta of “Amabiki Kannon Madara Kishin” is previously introduced in chapters 231, 232, and 366.
①This is Chuo Park. Tents for festival events are lined up. Now, we’re going to the center plaza.
②You can see the center plaza. The stairs on the right lead to the bus center and Tsukuba Station.
③I am in front of stalls. Since it is mid-morning, many stalls are getting ready.
④ This is a stall which sells Turkish "stretchy ice cream(のびるアイスクリーム)". Matsuri Tsukuba has street food from all over the world.
⑤ We’ve arrived in front of the stage in the center plaza.
⑥ This is the stage of Festival Tsukuba 2023.
⑦ This is the stage of the festival.
⑧ This is the Expo float made for the 1985 Tsukuba Science Expo. It was restored and has been appearing at Matsuri Tsukuba since 2007.
⑨ A fox is dancing on the roof.
⑩ The box on the roof has extended into a second tier. On the first tier, the Mayor of Tsukuba is giving the opening address of the parade.
⑪ This is Tsukuba's original balloon Nebuta. This was made in 2009.
⑫ The back side of the balloon Nebuta is the city bird owl. Dusk is approaching.
⑬ This is this year's (2023) newly made Nebuta "Kato Kiyomasa(加藤清正)", who is said to have killed a tiger. It was created by Nebuta master, Kitamura Renmei(北村蓮明).
⑭ This is the back of "Kato Kiyomasa". There are Kintaro (金太郎), Momotaro (桃太郎), and an ogre (鬼).
⑮ This is a close-up photo of ⑭.
⑯ This is "Amabiki Kannon Madara Kishin (雨引観音 マダラ鬼神)", which was also created by Kitamura Renmei(北村蓮明). At Amehiki Kannon's traditional Madara Kishin Festival, the Kishin appears on a white horse and performs a demon dance in which he powerfully waves a torch.
⑰This is a close-up photo of Madara Kishin (マダラ鬼神).
⑱ This is the back of "Amabiki Kannon Madara Kishin". It depicts traditional features of Amabiki Kannon, such as horses, peacocks, hydrangeas, and stone lanterns. I’ll introduce the remaining Nebuta photos in the next chapter.
⑲ P.S. I’m playing with “Ramune” bottles in a summer festival mood.
⑳ P.S. I'm in front of the Ramune bottles.
㉑ P.S. I'm paying attention to the shaved ice(かき氷) at the summer festival garland.
㉒ P.S. The garland's rope is connected to the Ramune bottles.
