Last weekend (February 4-11), I went to the Nagasaki Lantern
Festival.
Nagasaki is one of the most international cities in Japan.
When Japan was closed to most outside countries, it still traded with China and
the Netherlands via its port in Nagasaki. Because of that, Nagasaki developed a
culture that is more international than much of Japan. As evidence, the two
most famous foods from Nagasaki are chanpon,
a noodle dish that originated in China, and Castella,
a cake that was brought by Portuguese merchants.
While most Japanese people celebrate New Year’s at the same
time as we do, Nagasaki’s big New Year festival aligns with the Lunar New Year
(what we call the Chinese New Year in America). Over the last twenty years or
so the festival has grown, and now it is renowned for having over 15,000
lanterns, attracting people from all over Japan and beyond.
The festival has a variety of attractions. The lanterns
themselves are quite a sight, especially at night. I also got a glimpse of
Chinese acrobats (one did a handstand on top of a giant pile of chairs) and a
dragon dance, in which participants dance while holding a large dragon on
sticks, which is chasing a golden ball. I also heard the erhu, a traditional
Chinese instrument, and ate some delicious food. My favorite was called momo manjuu, which means something like “peach
dumpling.” The name is a bit misleading; the steamed dumpling is decorated to
look like a peach, but it actually contains anko,
sweet red bean paste.
This festival is definitely something for which pictures are
better than words. It’s truly breathtaking, and I recommend going if you ever
get a chance. If you do, though, bear in mind that there are huge crowds. I was
fortunate to be able to stay with my host family, who live in Nagasaki City.
For one thing, hotels probably would have been very expensive, and parking a
hassle; but the main reason is that my host family is incredible. I enjoyed
talking to the parents and grandparents and playing with the little kids just
as much as I enjoyed seeing the lanterns!
All in all, a great trip. Thanks to Erin and Emily for
coming with me!
Thank you for reading,
Lian
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