Autmn festivals in Lake Akan
#1 Marimo Festival(Part 1/2)

Along the shores of Lake Akan, where autumn weather continues to shine, the trees are changing its colors, and the mornings and evenings are getting colder.

Through next few posts, we would like to introduce you to the autumn festivals in Lake Akan.

Today we would like to introduce you to the annual "Marimo Festival". Although the event continued to be scaled back due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year's event was held as usual and the area was filled with passion for three days.

What's "Marimo Festival"?

The "Marimo Festival'' is held every October to show people's feelings towards marimo.

The Marimo Festival began in 1955, when marimo was in crisis.
Theft and smuggling are rampant, and the water level of Lake Akan is dropping due to the release of a lot of water for hydroelectric power generation, causing marimo to come out into the air... At that time, the Marimo Festival began with the idea, "Let's return the marimo to the lake and protect the marimo.''

The Marimo Festival is a traditional ceremony held by the Ainu people to express gratitude and respect for the rich nature of Lake Akan through marimo.

▼Check out this post for more information about Marimo

https://www.kamuylumina.jp/en/sp/enjoy/enjoy-4399/



During the Marimo Festival, there will be lectures and observation sessions of the marimo habitat, and a marimo dance parade performed by the town's residents.

In addition, the Marimo Festival is a traditional ceremony held by the Ainu people to show their gratitude and respect for the rich nature of Lake Akan through marimo.

Marimo dance parade

During the day time on the second day of the Marimo Festival, the "`Marimo Dance Parade'' is held, in which people from the town dressed in yukatas(Japanse traditional kimono) parade through main street of the Lake Akan dancing to the "Marimo Dance Ondo(song)".

Adults and children could be seen dancing together, including children from compulsory education schools, women's groups, hotel employees, and people involved in the shopping district, creating a peaceful atmosphere.

The Marimo Dance parade begins at the Akankohan Eco-Museum Center, passes through the Marimo-no-sato Shopping Street and Lucky Forest Shopping Street, and ends at Lake Akan Ainu Kotan(Ainu village), the parade that truly dances from one end of the town to the other.



On the sidewalk, not only tourists but also people from the town who run shops come out to see and cheer up the parade with smiles on their faces.

As it is called "Marimo Dance Ondo", it incorporates choreography reminiscent of Lake Akan's round marimo and the fluctuation of the lake's surface, making it clear that this is a dance unique to this region.



There were some tourists dancing along with them, imitating them.

The yukata worn by all the dancers is also distinctive, and the woman's one depicts the shores of Lake Akan and green marimo with Mt. Oakan in the background.

On the other hand, the men's outfits are lovely with an indigo design with Ainu patterns as motifs.

After passing through the mainstreet and arriving at the Ainu Kotan, the dancers go around the slope of the kotan and the Marimo dance parade comes to an end in no time.



The Marimo dance parade came to a successful climax with applause from the audience who witnessed how the culture of dance and festivals was passed on to the next generation.

In the second part, we will also introduce the "Marimo welcome ceremony", "Torch Parade", and "Ainu traditional dance performance'' that will be held on the same night!
Look forward to the next update!