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Japan Today
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Hamamatsu Festival showcases vibrant kites, colorful floats and lively parades
By Abhijit Sen The Hamamatsu Festival is a lively annual event held in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka. It takes place from May 3 – 5. This festival has a history of over 450 years. It features beautiful kites and colorful floats. It also shows the strong community spirit among the townspeople. Kite battles have become a popular highlight of the festival. Image: PIXTA/ 和音 The festival originates in the Eiroku era (1558-1569) and is documented in the Hamamatsu Castle Chronicle, written by Sakai Masamune. It began when Iio Buzennokami, the lord of Hikuma Castle, celebrated the birth of his son by flying a kite. This event started a cherished local tradition that honors children through the art of flying kites. Over the years, residents of Hamamatsu have embraced this tradition, and kite battles have become a popular highlight of the festival. Kite flying became popular in towns like Sagara and Yokosuka during the Edo and Meiji periods. Hamamatsu was known for its kite battles, especially at Wajiyama parade ground, from 1919 until just before World War II. After the war, the festival revived with the first post-war kite battle in 1948 at Nakatajima dunes, involving 40 to 50 towns. By 1950, participation had increased, prompting the formation of the Hamamatsu Festival Headquarters to organize the event. Festival Highlights As night falls, visitors can enjoy a dazzling parade. Image: PIXTA/hige Today, over 170 towns participate in the Hamamatsu Festival, drawing approximately 2 million visitors annually. The festival includes tremendous kite battles at the Nakatajima Sand Dunes during the day. Each participating community has unique kite designs that often incorporate local symbols or names. These designs are also featured on the happi, traditional light coats worn by the festival teams. Click here to read more. External Link © GaijinPot
Express Tribune
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Kite flying ban
Lahore's new law that prohibits kite flying because it associates traditional kite events with criminal behaviour is debatable. The Punjab administration's prevention strategy presents a confusing approach by attempting to eliminate cultural traditions while neglecting to eliminate the core elements that threaten public safety. Lahore's Basant festival attracted worldwide tourists who promoted travel while celebrating the city's cultural legacy. Metal-coated strings led to catastrophic accidents prompting the government to impose a total ban instead of creating balanced regulations. Several countries around the world have created designated safe spaces for kite flying while ensuring safety and protecting cultural traditions. Both India and Japan successfully hold festivals celebrating flying kites: India hosts an International Kite Festival and Japan holds its Hamamatsu Festival. Why don't we follow their example? The real solution lies in holding string producers accountable rather than levying excessive penalties starting at Rs50,000 against kite enthusiasts and children. Targeting producers instead of banning this traditional custom would create a more equitable and effective approach. This ban threatens the economic survival of festival workers who build kites and guide tourists through the event. Our national identity and economic stability are at risk when we eliminate Basant from our cultural heritage. A better approach would combine designated kite zones with usage regulations and strict string manufacturing restrictions. The Punjabi government must reconsider their current approach and develop strategies to ensure public safety and cultural heritage preservation. The answer lies in responsible regulations instead of eliminating recreational fireworks altogether. Ayesha Fatima Lahore
