「お化け（芸舞妓さん）、美しい！撮って帰ってやるぞ！」と外国人観光客が息巻いた！京都祇園の芸舞妓さん達の節分祭。Maiko ghosts are so beautiful! Kyoto, Japan
「お化け(芸舞妓さん)、美しい！写真を撮って国に帰ってやるぞ！」と外国人観光客が息巻いた！京都祇園の節分祭。
[4k映像 60fps]祇園の町を歩く外国人観光客の目は輝いていた。節分の時期に京都を訪れるのは初めてで、日本の伝統行事を体験できることに胸を躍らせていた。古き良き街並みに提灯の灯りが揺れ、舞妓や芸妓が行き交う祇園の風情にすっかり魅了されていた外国人観光客は、「日本の節分に、日本のお化け、美しい！」と興奮気味にカメラを構えた。
町のあちこちでは、鬼に扮した人々が練り歩き、豆まきを楽しむ子どもたちの笑い声が響いていた。寺社では厄除けの儀式が行われ、着物姿の人々が次々と参拝に訪れる。そんな光景に夢中になっていた外国人観光客は、「これは絶対に写真を撮って国に帰ってやるぞ！」と息巻きながら、シャッターを切り続けた。
やがて彼は、ある料亭の前で足を止めた。そこには、まるで幽玄の世界から現れたかのような妖艶な姿の女性たちがいた。彼女たちは、古典的な日本の妖怪や幽霊に扮しており、白塗りの顔に赤や青の化粧が施され、黒髪を乱して微笑んでいる。外国人観光客は目を見開いた。「まさか、これが日本の”お化け”！？美しい……！」
節分の夜、祇園では「お化け」と呼ばれる風習がある。花街の芸妓や舞妓たちが普段の姿とは異なる仮装をし、遊び心あふれる宴が催されるのだ。その妖しくも優美な姿に、外国人観光客は完全に心を奪われた。異国の文化の奥深さを感じながら、外国人観光客は夢中でシャッターを押し続けた。
「これは絶対に自慢しなくては！」と、外国人観光客は撮った写真を確認しながら笑った。節分の夜の祇園は、外国人観光客にとって忘れられない思い出となったに違いない。
“Japanese ghosts are so beautiful! I’m going to take pictures and go back to my country!” exclaimed a foreign tourist! Setsubun Festival in Gion, Kyoto, Japan.
[4k video 60fps] The eyes of foreign tourists walking through the town of Gion were shining. It was their first time visiting Kyoto during Setsubun, and they were excited to be able to experience a traditional Japanese event. The foreign tourists were completely captivated by the atmosphere of Gion, where lanterns swayed in the old streets and maiko and geisha came and went, and they excitedly took their cameras and said, “Japanese ghosts on Japanese Setsubun are so beautiful!”
All over the town, people dressed as demons were marching around, and the laughter of children enjoying bean throwing echoed. At temples and shrines, rites to ward off evil were being held, and people in kimonos came to worship one after another. The foreign tourists were fascinated by the sight, and kept taking pictures, exclaiming, “I’m definitely going to take pictures of this and go back to my country!”
Eventually, he stopped in front of a restaurant. There were women with bewitching figures, as if they had emerged from a mysterious world. They were dressed as classic Japanese monsters and ghosts, with white faces painted with red and blue makeup, and smiling with their black hair disheveled. The foreign tourists’ eyes were wide open. “Could this really be a Japanese ‘ghost’?! So beautiful…!”
On the night of Setsubun, there is a custom in Gion called “ghosts.” Geiko and maiko from the entertainment district dress up in costumes different from their usual appearances, and a playful banquet is held. The foreign tourists were completely captivated by their mysterious and graceful appearance. Feeling the depth of foreign culture, the foreign tourists continued to press the shutter in a frenzy.
“I definitely have to brag about this!” the foreign tourists said, laughing as they checked the photos they had taken. Gion on Setsubun night must have become an unforgettable memory for the foreign tourists.