Karigane Festival 2024

Fire plays a part in many Japanese festivals. It is exciting, but also scary. 

Last Saturday, I went to the Karigane Festival in Fuji City with three friends. This is the third time I went to this festival. You can read about when we went in 2019 and were fire throwers Here. I'm glad I did it once, but the fire throwing thing is too scary to want to do it again. 

Three baskets on tall poles of different heights, with trees coming out the top, are the goals. There is a small one for children, and two others for the adults. Spectators are behind the fence. Participants (fire throwers) wear long pants, long sleeves, helmets, and goggles.

The fires around the area are for catching the wood attached to rope on fire.  These are to be thrown in the air.

The people with the red and blue happy coats are the workers at the festival.

First, the children get to throw fire at the farthest away and shortest basket.

It is very difficult to swing the rope with the wood on fire up in the air and also watch out for the fire being thrown by others.

After it catches on fire, it burns until it falls down.  There are people with hoses, just in case.

After the first one is gone, the adult participants go out for the middle height basket.

After throwing up your fire wood, you can pick up one from the ground and take it to the fire and get a new one to continue throwing.

The throwing continues until the basket catches on fire.

The third basket is very tall and it is difficult to throw the fire high enough.

After the third one catches on fire, the fireworks go off.

This is an exciting festival.  If you want to attend next year, it is held on the first weekend in October in Fuji City, Shizuoka Prefecture.