Dates: October 7th-9th
Place: Suwa Shrine etc.
City: 18-15, Kaminishiyama-machi, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki prefecture
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One of Japan’s big three festivals is the three day Nagasaki Okunchi Festival held at Suwa Shrine in autumn. It reflects the curious history of Nagasaki as the colourful procession has strong Chinese and Dutch overtones from the days when Nagasaki was the only Japanese port open to foreign trade. This festival draws large numbers of tourists from both inside and outside Nagasaki Prefecture. The greatest highlight is the Hono-Odori in which the towns in charge (once every 7 years) (Odori-cho) take turns to perform dances. The attractions prepared by the Odori-cho include spectacular floats shaped like river barges or Chinese boats on wheels, some weighing over 100kg that are pushed and pulled through the streets of Nagasaki City. The always popular Chinese Dragon dance is also one not to miss.
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