Curiosity Toyama - Travel and Culture Guide

Yatsuo Owara Kazeno Bon Festival will be held from tonight.
Weather forecast is here.
http://www.weather-forecast.com/locations/Toyama/forecasts/latest

The major industry in Gokayama was production of saltpeter, or potassium nitrate with the formula KNO3.
Saltpeter was ingredient essential to gunpowder.

This is Suganuma village with many thatched roof houses.
A lot of Gassho houses are preserved here.
You can see the entire village from here, so it is the ideal spot for photo taking.

The other person is Mr. Retsu Hasegawa, a former director and director emeritus of Yatsuo Owara Shiryokan Museum and an expert who studies Owara Kazeno Bon intensively. He explained about its history and concerns, such as a shortage of dancers and musicians for the next generation.

We interviewed two persons about Owara Kazenobon. The first person is professor Talandis Jr. at the faculty of humanity of Toyama university who lives in Yatsuo town for 17 years. He told us the characteristics of Yatsuo viewed from a foreigner's eyes. Thank you very much, Jerry sensei.

From now, we'll go to Yatsuo town and interview about Owaea Kazeno Bon Festival.

We are now in Kansui park and shooting footage of beautiful scenes.

Owara Kazeno Bon festival is helt in Yatsuo town.
Many people come to see it every year.

This festival has long history(about 300 years).
During the event, village people dance and play a traditional music.
Its dance and song is so elegant. It creates a graceful atmosphere with its melody.

Tomorrow, we will go to the eve of the Echu Owara Kazeno Bon festival(越中おわら風の盆).

We ate Zaru Soba set meal featuring local and seasonal delicacies.
It was so delicious!

The volume are substantial and sure to satisfy!

Gokayama is known as a heavy snowfall area.
So people made the roofs very steep so that snow would not stay on the roofs so much. In some winter, the precipitation reaches 5 meters. However many photographers visit Gasshozukuri villages during light-up season in winter.