ÿþ<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html> <head> <title>The Major Annual Festival of ... - E-Ibaraki Report</title> <link rel="start" href="index.html"> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="http://www.pref.ibaraki.jp/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon"> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="handheld" href="handheld.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="print" href="print.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="basic.css"> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=Shift_JIS"> <meta name="description" content="Information updated monthly for foreign residents of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan"> <script type="text/javascript" src="basic.js"></script> <style type="text/css"> <!-- div.picrow { text-align: center; } div.picrow img { border: 1px solid gray; } --> </style> <!--[if IE]> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="ie.css"> <![endif]--> </head> <body> <div id="scrollwrapper"><div id="wrapper"> <div id="header"> <a href="index.html" class="imagelink"><img src="img/banner.jpg" width="419" height="80" id="banner" alt="E-Ibaraki Report: by foreigners, for foreigners"></a> <div id="headeritems"> <ul class="horizontal"> <li><a href="index.html">Site front</a> |</li> <li><a href="about.html">About</a> |</li> <li><a href="contact.html">Contact</a></li> </ul> <form method="get" action="http://www.google.com/custom"><div> <input type="text" name="q" size="20" maxlength="255" value="" id="googlesearchbox"> <input type="submit" value="Search site"> <input type="hidden" name="cof" value="S:http://www.pref.ibaraki.jp/bukyoku/seikan/kokuko/e-ibaraki-report/main.html;GL:0;VLC:#248391;AH:center;BGC:white;LH:39;LC:#248391;GFNT:gray;L:http://www.pref.ibaraki.jp/bukyoku/seikan/kokuko/e-ibaraki-report/img/lilibaraki.gif;ALC:black;LW:31;T:black;GIMP:red;AWFID:c7fbd4d8e42af694;"> <input type="hidden" name="domains" value="www.pref.ibaraki.jp"> <input type="hidden" name="sitesearch" value="www.pref.ibaraki.jp/bukyoku/seikan/kokuko/e-ibaraki-report/"> </div></form> </div> </div> <div id="middle"> <!-- Beginning of page content --> <div id="contentwrapper"><div id="content"><div id="contentinner"> <h1>2009 Hitachi-Ltsu Boat Festival (8^x–'Y%mn0¡_9‚my)</h1> <div id="headinfo"><div id="headinfoinner"> <div id="authorname">Amber Chang, International Affairs Division</div> <ul id="taglist" class="horizontal"> <li><a href="annual.html">Annual events</a></li> </ul> </div></div> <div class="clear"></div> <p>Hi everyone,</p> <p>If you are free on MAY 2nd or MAY 3rd, this is your chance to join the locals in celebrating this once-in-every-5-year BOAT FESTIVAL in Kita-Ibaraki. And you heard me right,</p> <p><h3>((((((( ONCE in every FIVE years!!! )))))))</h3></p> <p>Unless you think you ll be staying/coming back to Ibaraki in 5 years time, I would very very strongly encourage you to come along and check out some very cool festival scenes.</p> <p>The Hitachi-Ltsu Boat Festival, called8^x–'Y%mn0¡_9‚my (Hitachi-Ltu no Ofune matsuri) in Japanese, is a festival held on May 2nd and 3rd every 5 yearly to wish for a good haul and the maritime safety. Designated by the nation as an intangible folklore cultural asset since Showa Year 55 (1980), it has always been the biggest festival of the Sawawachigi Shrine (POâlâl0WGy^y>y) in Ltsu-machi, Kita-Ibaraki City.</p> <p>The main feature of the festival is a parade of the holy boat, with a portable shrine and 40 people on board (performers and chief priest, etc), down the main streets of the town.</p> <p>The boat sits on 100 pieces of parallel wooden poles that are similar to the shape of an abacus, and it is rolled forward as 300 people drag it and parade down the streets. The festival highlight is when the boat is changing direction at perpendicular corners!</p> <p>OK, enough background info from me. You've gotta check it out by yourself!</p> <p>Here s one picture to give you an idea:</p> <div class="picrow"><a href="img/0905/Ofune1.jpg" onclick="return openPicture(this.href,396,528);" class="imagelink"><img src="img/0905/Ofune1.gif" width="210" height="281" alt="Picture from Ofune Festival"></a></div> <p><h4>And, here are the details for you:</h4></p> <dl> <dt><h5>Date:</h5></dt> <dd>2009 May 2 (Saturday)  Eve of the festival 13:00-21:00</dd> <dd>2009 May 3 (Sunday)  Main festival 07:00-21:00</dd> <dt><h5>Venue:</h5></dt> <dd>Ltsu-machi, Kita-Ibaraki City (nearby areas of Ltsu Port)</dd> <dt><h5>How to get there:</h5></dt> <dd>By car: Take the JMban Expressway, get off at Kita-Ibaraki IC (exit), change to Route 6 and drive for about 15 minutes</dd> <dd>By train: Take the JR JMban line and get off at LtsukM Station. From there, 5 minutes by taxi or 20 minutes on foot.</dd> <dd>*On May 3 (Sunday), shuttles buses will be available from Isohara Station and LtsukM Station to the festival venue.</dd> </dl> <p>For inquires, please contact the Hitachi-Ltsu Boat Festival Office (8^x–'Y%mn0¡_9‚myÝOX[O‹NÙR@b) at 0293-46-0135 (9:00-15:30)</p> <p><h3>Hope to see you there!</h3></p> </div></div></div> <!-- End of page content --> <div id="menu"> <h2>Categories</h2> <ul> <li><a href="#" onclick="toggleSubMenu(this);return false;" class="category">Events<span> &#8250;</span></a><ul> <li><a href="upcoming.html">Upcoming events</a></li> <li><a href="annual.html">Annual events <span class="articlecount">(4)</span></a></li> <li><a href="past.html">Past events <span class="articlecount">(11)</span></a></li> </ul></li> <li><a href="#" onclick="toggleSubMenu(this);return false;" class="category">Places to go<span> &#8250;</span></a><ul> <li><a href="#" onclick="toggleSubMenu(this);return false;" class="category">By 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