The following photos are from Grand Prize Winners of the Japan Tourism Agency’s 2012-2013 Share your WOW! Photo Contest. These were selected from over 38,000 entries from talented photographers from across the globe.
For more information about the photographers, please see the Japan Tourism Agency’s website at www.japantravelinfo.com
The complete article is available in Issue #272. click here to order from Amazon
Try no matter what happens. Move forward without looking away
I was born in Kishiwada, Osaka, a town surrounding the Kishiwada Castle. It is known for its Danjiri Matsuri Cart-Pulling Festival held the third weekend of September and attracting some 600,000 visitors. The 310-year-old festival has become exceedingly dangerous.
Since I was a kid, I’ve loved hearing the pipes, drums and the loud “So-rya, So-rya” chanting of the festival. I joined the float pullers between my fourth year of primary school and second year of high school. It was the big event of the year for me.
人生もまた祭りのようなもの。
私の生まれ育った大阪府岸和田市は、岸和田城を中心とす る城下町です。岸和田と言えば、毎年 9 月の第 3 土・日 曜日をメインに行われ、60 万人もの人が訪れる「だんじり祭」が有名。約 310 年の歴史と伝統を誇り、危険なまでに白 熱する祭りとして知られています。
私は子供の頃から祭りの笛や太鼓のお囃子、「ソーリャソーリャ」 という威勢のいい掛け声を聞くと何とも言えない高揚感で胸が踊 り、ウズウズしたものです。好きが嵩じて、小学4年から高校 2 年まで、年に一度の晴れ舞台 さながら山車の曳き手として一団に加わるまでとなりました。
