Miyagino Kiga Onsen Summer Festival 宮城野木賀温泉夏祭り

Official explanation

Mushiokuri is a summer custom, practiced in agricultural communities throughout Japan, of driving away harmful insects to prevent damage to crops before the harvest season. This traditional event is the highlight of the annual Miyagino Kiga Onsen Summer Festival that takes place on August 14 and 15. Participants walk around the village at dusk, bearing torches with which they scare off bugs and steer them into boxes. These containers are then burned at the end of the evening as part of a prayer for an ample harvest. While the mushiokuri practice has ancient origins, the associated festival has only been held in Miyagino-Kiga since the 1960s. The village is lit by traditional-style lanterns on both evenings, when music, dance, and street performances, as well as food and drink stalls, attract local residents and tourists alike.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.