Hamaori sai 2024

The Hamaori Festival (はまおりさい) is an annual festival held on Marine Day in July at Nishihama Beach in Chigasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture. It involves a procession with portable shrines and participants entering the sea, known as “dokkoi-nori.”

 

Description:

The Hamaori Festival is celebrated by parishioners from various shrines in Sagami-chō and Chigasaki City. Participants carry portable shrines (mikoshi) and collectively enter the sea. After coming out of the water, they carry the shrines back to their respective regions in a procession known as “dokkoi-nori.” The festival has historically involved immersing the portable shrines in the sea, but in recent years, the nature of the festival has become more subdued to reduce the costs associated with maintaining the shrines. As a result, the festival has evolved into a more peaceful event where participants gently immerse themselves in the sea while carrying the shrines.

In recent years (at least in the 21st century), for shrines located far from Nishihama Beach, the portable shrines are transported by truck from the shrine area to Nishihama Beach, and participants travel by chartered bus (often using buses from the Kanachu bus company). In the past, the festival involved starting the mikoshi procession around midnight, with each shrine arriving at Nishihama Beach by dawn.

 

 

 

 

Event Summary

Kayakisaki, Kanagawa, Japan

Period
July 15, 2024, Sea Day

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