News in Easy English: Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival ends with big race in Fukuoka
The festival's biggest event, called "Oiyama," happened early in the morning on July 15. Many people watched and cheered as the men ran with the floats, shouting "oisa, oisa."
At 4:59 a.m., a big drum sounded at Kushida Shrine. The first team, Higashi Nagare, ran into the shrine with their float and shouted "Yaa!" They circled a flag and sang a celebration song. After that, six more teams and a special decorative float entered the shrine, each five minutes apart. Then, each team took their turn running about 5 kilometers to the finish.
Ryuji Umezu, 60, who helped lead the first team, said, "There was pressure, but we approached the event as we do every year," and "I want to ... work hard to make next year's Yamakasa even better."
A 65-year-old Buddhist priest from Mie Prefecture saw the festival for the first time. He said, "I've never seen such a powerful festival. I could feel the spirit of it."
(Japanese original by Jangrae Kim, Kyushu News Department)
Vocabulary
festival: a special event with music, food, and fun, often every year
float: a big, decorated platform carried or pulled in a festival
happi coat: a short, traditional Japanese coat
climax: the most exciting part
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