【群馬県】伝統的なお祭り！ヘビ神輿がある老神温泉の大蛇祭りに潜入！
Hello Festivals are gatherings of extroverts. This is Trip-ru! I used to believe that too, once. But this time, we’re sneaking into the Daija Festival in Oigami Onsen! Alright, let’s go! Oigami Onsen’s origin story says that a great serpent god from Mt. Akagi
fought a giant centipede god from Mt. Nantai in Nikko. After being hit by an arrow, the serpent struck the mountain with it,
and a hot spring burst forth. The name “Oigami” supposedly comes from the phrase “chasing off the god” of Nikko. So “Oigami” comes from “Oikami”—chasing god. The Daija Festival is held each year to honor and thank the serpent who discovered the hot spring. The festival’s mikoshi (portable shrine) is in the Guinness World Records—it’s 108 meters long! 108 meters!? I really wanted to see the mikoshi being carried,
but it only happens on weekdays—and I couldn’t get time off work. So I’m settling for seeing it displayed outside. If you want to see it being carried, check out other YouTubers’ videos. Still, it’s super long! Just walking its length takes over a minute. Running might still take 10 seconds! Running it in 10 seconds? That’s track-athlete level! If you run 30 seconds’ worth and speed it up 3x… That would still only bring it down to about 9 seconds. Anyway, weird talk aside—this is our final stop. Let’s explore a bit before the festival starts. First up: Akagi Shrine, one of many found throughout Gunma Prefecture. You really see these everywhere in Gunma. Please let it stay dry so we can get good footage of the festival. There’s a snake mikoshi (portable shrine) at the Akagi Shrine site. Its eyes look cloudy—it’s kind of creepy. The white one looks bloodshot, too. This one’s also really long! Getting a bit hungry, so I’m checking out the food trucks at the festival. Today’s lineup seems to focus more on light snacks. Today’s pick: Gunma’s soul food—“Yaki Manju.” This time, I’m getting the kind with sweet bean filling. I’ve had Yaki Manju before, but never with filling—this is a first! The miso sauce on the bread is absolutely amazing. The slightly charred finish is perfect too. Alright, let’s dig in! This is what it looks like inside. It’s like a sweet bean bun with miso glaze grilled on it. That’s pretty much how it tastes too—sweet and salty. Oh no— Looks like the festival has started! The big mikoshi isn’t here yet, so we’re good. The children’s mikoshi parade starts from right here. You can see Akagi Shrine on the right—so it’s right at its base. Let’s head over while we wait. The children’s white snake mikoshi is on the move! You got this, kids! Looks like they’ll be visiting a bunch of hotels in the Oigami Onsen area. How long is that going to take? About three and a half hours. Wait… that’s torture, right? Even adults would be exhausted walking that long. Apparently there are rest breaks along the way. Well, in that case… The parents chasing after them must be exhausted too. Hang in there, everyone! I’m heading out for lunch during this break. What’s this “Gyoza no Manshu Tōmeikan” written on that sign? Gyoza no Manshu is a Chinese food chain in the Kanto and Kansai regions, right? This must be some kind of company retreat facility or something. Nope—it really is Gyoza no Manshu! They even have a full restaurant inside. Guess I’ll just eat lunch here. Can’t wait for the gyoza. Today I ordered the “Yamitsuki-don” (Addictive Rice Bowl). Where’s the gyoza? It’s a soy-sauce-based, slightly spicy bowl with 125g of vegetables. Definitely addictive flavor. What about the gyoza!? This time I switched to brown rice—it’s free to change. It lowers the calories by about 100 kcal,
so it’s great for anyone watching their intake. Gyoza. Where is it. I love this slightly run-down atmosphere. This time’s hotel: “Mouhitotsu no Furusato – Yamaguchiya.” Because of the festival, the price shot up to around 15,000 yen. Oh, a kitty! It’s not even running away when I approach. It’s rubbing its face like it’s on catnip. Meanwhile, in the back, another cat is devouring something like a maniac. So cuuuuuuuute!!! The children’s mikoshi arrived at Yamaguchiya too! You can do it! It’s been about two and a half hours since it began. You can see the kids are starting to get tired. They even enter the hotel itself! Maybe it brings business prosperity… or maybe not. Relaxed, plentiful, and peaceful. I want to be the first one in the bath. Since the open-air bath is time-slotted, I came early. Behold the fresh greenery of the open-air bath! Those green leaves are maple—might be worth coming back in autumn for the fall colors. When I got to the plaza, they were dancing or something. Apparently, it’s called the Kiryu Yagibushi Dance. Yagibushi originated in Tochigi Prefecture, right? This seems to be a version with lyrics adjusted for Gunma. Every August, they hold the Kiryu Yagibushi Festival over three days. Three days? What do they even do? They apparently dance for about three hours each day. “Ee ja nai ka!” You mean that craze from the Edo period where people just danced wildly? Before I knew it, more and more people were joining in. It’s like a flash mob. Well, it is a crowd of extroverts after all… Of course you joined in too, right? What are you talking about? I’m the videographer today. Don’t say that like a dad who refuses to join sports day. Festivals are great because everyone can enjoy them—no matter the age, gender, or nationality. By the way, the performers today also danced Yagibushi at the Osaka Expo. Turns out they’re more famous than I thought. Tonight’s dinner features dishes using local Gunma fish, meat, and konnyaku (yam cake). The rice is especially good—I just keep eating more. Are you saying you’re eating rice as a side for rice? Night has fallen. Looks like the main event is already starting. Let’s head out right away! Wow, there are a lot of people here. Seems the mikoshi (portable shrine) is still ahead. We should’ve caught up with it sooner. This must be one of the rest stops. The mikoshi literally came out of the hotel lobby! It’s way longer than I expected. By the way, during the rest stops, do they just rehydrate or something? Bingo!! See? They’re drinking right here. From what I can see, aren’t those sake bottles? I’m sure it’s just water. They’re chugging it like crazy. Still, the scent of alcohol is totally part of the festival atmosphere—
you could even say it defines it. As expected, it’s sake. Watching people pass the bottle around is quite a sight. It seems like even walk-ins can get a drink just by lining up. I don’t drink though—can’t handle strong alcohol. Still, this atmosphere feels kind of surreal. It’s such an interesting culture—being cheered on while drinking sake. Isn’t this like one of those old black-company drinking parties? But everyone’s drinking because they want to. Totally voluntary. I envy people who can hold their liquor. Now we’re off to the next location. Finally, the mikoshi arrives at Yamaguchiya! We came back early, but surprisingly few people are watching from inside. They even cleared chairs and pamphlets to make room for the mikoshi. We’ve arrived at the morning market. It’s more bustling than the one at Atsumi Onsen! You can buy veggies, handmade meals, rice cakes, and more. Usually, the 108-meter mikoshi is displayed in the building behind here. I bought a local northern Kanto favorite—“carbonated manju” (steamed buns). They use baking soda to make the dough rise. The outside is chewy and the inside is packed with chunky red bean paste—delicious. Here’s today’s breakfast. The rice was too good—I kept refilling. That’s it for this episode. So, what did you think of actually participating? The energy was so intense I was left speechless. The hotel was great too, so I hope you’ll visit. Next time, I want to see them carry the full 108-meter mikoshi—
in 12 years! That’s… up for discussion. Next episode: Pilgrimage in Gifu Prefecture! If you’re interested, don’t forget to subscribe! We’d love it if you liked and commented too! After this, we visited nearby Fukiware Falls.
#老神温泉
#大蛇まつり
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今回の聖地巡礼
・老神温泉観光協会
https://www.oigami.net/
・大蛇まつり
https://oigamionsen.gunmablog.net/e435508.html
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