Wrapping up my Japanese festival visitation, Dontosai is one of the best festivals that I`ve ever experienced here in Japan. Maybe because of its uniqueness and the exhilarating scene because you can see a large bonfire lighting up the cold dark sky. The Dontosai Festival is a ritual unique to Miyagi and takes place at various shrines throughout the prefecture every year on January 14. The largest one is held at Osaki Hachimangu Shrine in Sendai City. Yes, it's really the largest one because we went there around 17:30 and there were a lot of people and even the parking lots were full. It took us almost 2 hours looking for an available parking space.
I saw attendees gather their New Year’s decorations from the previous year and toss them into a bonfire as a prayer for health and good fortune in the coming year. Perhaps the most famous spectacle is the hadaka-mairi (naked pilgrimage), where large groups of pilgrims clad only in traditional loincloths and torso wraps brave the cold and march silently through the streets to pay their respects at the shrine.
Of course, we needn't only watch—we also prayed at the shrine. After ringing in the new year with a prayer, we bought a fortune from the shrine that divulges what the coming year holds in store for them. Numerous food and drink stalls line the sidewalks and shrine grounds, selling modern and traditional Japanese fare: oyaki (steamed buns stuffed with various fillings), ramen, amazake (a sweet rice-based beverage), and more.
JOHN
