 Most viewed - Yamagata Hanagasa Matsuri Festival 2009 山形花笠まつり |
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Then there was this group of sexy Yamagata hanagasa dancers. Holy smoke, look at that cleavage, something you never see with a yukata.757 views
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Miniskirted yukata708 views
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Yamagata maiko420 views
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During early Aug., JR Yamagata Station has a Hanagasa Matsuri billboard above the turnstile as you get out.376 views
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Yamagata maiko347 views
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Held since 1963, the Yamagata Hanagasa Matsuri festival is held annually during Aug. 5-7. It is an evening parade of dancers using a hanagasa (flower hat) held during the three evenings from 6 pm to 9:30 pm.341 views
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Miss Hanagasa 2009.309 views
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This is actress Eri Watanabe (b. 1955) who is from Yamagata. She gave a memorable performance in the 1996 movie, "Shall We Dance?"308 views
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Actress Eri Watanabe in Yamagata Hanagasa Matsuri on Aug. 7, 2009.308 views
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Yamagata Hanagasa Matsuri296 views
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Yamagata Hanagasa Matsuri235 views
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Photogenic Yamagata hanagasa dancer.233 views
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Lovely Yamagata hanagasa dancer.215 views
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Cop cars block the parade road.191 views
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"See you next year." The parade ends at around 9:30 pm at the end of the parade route. But it ends earlier if you are at the midway point instead. There was enough time for me to catch the last train back to Sendai at 9:46 pm.182 views
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Amateur hanagasa dancers.177 views
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Yamagata Station's exit has hanagasa (flower hat) decorations.175 views
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You can buy your own hanagasa and join in the festival.136 views
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Yamagata Station also has a Hanagasa info counter set up during the festival. You can pick up a map of the parade route.135 views
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It is a folk dance characterized by the hanagasa, or flower hat, which is held with both hands and swung left and right, above the head, etc. The festival originated as a rice-planting prayer for a good harvest.135 views
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When I arrived during lunch time on Aug. 7, 2009, a group of hanagasa dancers held a PR demonstration right inside Yamagata Station as you see here.134 views
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Miss Hanagasa 2009.133 views
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It's possible to stopover in Sendai and take a day trip to Yamagata to see this festival. However, if you want to stopover in Yamagata during the Hanagasa Festival, make reservations early especially for budget hotels. 133 views
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They dance to the beat of taiko drums and the prerecorded folk tune of Hanagasa Ondo singing, "Yassho, makasho!" 132 views
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Paper lanterns written with "Yama-gata-hana-gasa-ma-tsu-ri."130 views
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The final group was led by the four Miss Hanagasa. Anybody could dance in this final group.129 views
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The artificial red flowers on the hats symbolize the safflower, the city flower.128 views
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A total of about 120 groups (10,000 people) dance over the three evenings. If you want to see a certain group, you'll have to check the parade schedule. Also, a different celebrity guest also dances each evening.125 views
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The parade starts at 6 pm, and it took about 10 min. to reach where I was.124 views
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By 5:30 pm, a good crowd of people lined the parade street stretching for 1.2 km. The parade route is a 10-15-min. walk from Yamagata Station. It was lot more crowded than the first time I saw this festival years ago.122 views
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Miss Hanagasa121 views
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Cheerleaders too116 views
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Sometimes we see floats.116 views
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Many dance groups were sponsored by large companies, and the company name or logo was prominently displayed on the clothing. It really is a long advertising parade.115 views
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It was drizzling off and on, so the road was wet. The shiny road made the shot look more dramatic together with the backlight.115 views
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Miss Hanagasa 2009. There are four of them. 113 views
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The first few groups of dancers were the best.112 views
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This is one of the main and best dance groups. They all dance to a song called "Hanagasa Ondo." A recording of the song is repeated continuously through the loudpseakers. 花笠音頭112 views
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An average of 300,000 tourists watch the parade per evening. 110 views
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Female taiko drummers on trucks.110 views
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School kids were also in the parade.109 views
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I don't mind advertising, but I was upset to see a 100-meter long dance group advertising a phone company. They thus took a long time to pass by. (No photos of them here.)109 views
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It was a good size crowd despite the drizzling rain, but it wasn't not horrendously crowded. It was pretty easy to get around and find a new spot to watch the parade.106 views
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Military-style male dancers.105 views
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This is at the end of the parade route which had a nice illuminated gate overhead.104 views
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My video of Yamagata Hanagasa Matsuri in Aug. 2009.48 views
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