logo

Japan fire walking festival

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Share to Google Classroom

On Sunday, March 8th, thousands of people made their way to Tokyo’s Mt. Takao to observe a unique tradition

They watched believers of the Shugendo religion walk across a path of smouldering, hot embers.

Known as the Hiwatari-Matsuri festival, the annual ritual takes place at the Takao-san Yakuo-in Yuki-ji Temple every second Sunday of March.

It is performed by Shugendo’s followers to protect them from misfortune and for good health and peace in the world.

Visitors and tourists wishing to participate can do so at the end, when the embers have cooled to more tolerable temperatures.



25 Responses

  1. That’s a strange festival to hold. I think it would be almost as hard to watch at to participate.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

1
In the spirit of Christmas, CableTV in the USA, is...
1
There’s a new genius in town, and she’s only 2...
1
In a hair-raising tale from Uttar Pradesh, India, meet Smita...
1
In a bizarre incident in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia,...

World & National News

1
Spring temperatures across New Zealand this year were higher than...
1
I ngā rā whakatā, i hui ngā whānau Māori ki...
1
In a groundbreaking move towards sustainability, Air New Zealand has...
1
Protests have been carried out around New Zealand in response...