Hello to all of our readers around the world.
Today’s entry will offer a brief summary of the Heizanshiki (literally, “mountain closing ceremony”) held at Kappa Bridge yesterday to mark the end of the 2021 season in Kamikochi.
The Heizanshiki centers on a Shinto ritual in which priests offer thanks for safe passage through the mountains over the past year. As was the case last year, this year’s ceremony was only attended by people directly involved in the running of the park.
The ceremony began at 10am yesterday (2021/11/15) and was concluded without incident before a small audience. We look forward to a time when, as in days past, the event attracts hundreds of attendees who contribute a boisterous atmosphere to the proceedings. For the moment though, we continue to entrust this sacred duty to those dedicated few who are directly related to daily operations at Kamikochi.
And so we conclude our coverage of the 2021 season. We’ll be back in the near future with a retrospective of the past year (and whatever else we can think of to post here). As we look back on the season, we hope you’ll also join us in looking forward to brighter times, when the specter of COVID lies vanquished and the Kamikochi faithful are one again trooping in through the gates to commune with nature as in years past.
Remember also, that the Five Sense blog offers an invaluable resource for enthusiasts of Kamikochi and the Northern Japan Alps year round. You can always visit their homepage for a peek and what’s going on, even during the winter months when the park lies out of most people’s reach!
From everyone here at the Japan Alps Kamikochi Offcial Website, we wish you a cozy and safe winter wherever you are. Keep that alpine spirit alive through the colder months!
Source of Information:
Nature Guide Five Sense, Kamikochi blog: https://fivesense.guide/blog/today/32112/
