The grand event––a series of dance performances––is usually held at the Ushibuka Sōgō Center. Though it primarily revolves around the Ushibuka Haiya dances, interspersed between are shamisen performances and min’yo performed by folk music veterans. Any choice of min’yo almost always includes ‘Otemoyan,’ a famous Kumamoto classic featuring charmingly nonsensical lyrics. Other traditional folk dances […]

Ushibuka Haiya Bushi may be the star of the festival, but the Summer Haiya is just as much of a community event, an opportunity for everyone to gather. Early evening, just as the blazing heat of day softens to a sultry humidity, is the perfect time to head to the night market. Usually organised by […]

The Amakusa Islands may have the dubious distinction of having Japan’s fastest depopulation rate, but you wouldn’t think it to see the sheer number of people attending its festivals. The Ushibuka Haiya Bushi is the focal point of the spring and summer festivals, the April festivities being the liveliest of them all. Entire streets are […]

Located at the southern tip of the subtropical Amakusa Islands in Kyushu, Ushibuka was once a flourishing port in the Edo period (1603–1868), as well as Kumamoto Prefecture’s richest seafood production centre. Once an independent municipality, it was merged with a numbering of neighbouring towns and cities and subsumed into the new city of Amakusa. […]

Few things are more reminiscent of a Japanese summer than the matsuri. Hate the sweltering daytime heat if you must, but summer festivals remain one of the most magical parts of summer. Who could fail to feel a rush of joy at donning a yukata (summer kimono) on a sultry evening, or excitement at hearing […]