Hakata Matsubayashi Festival Committee Announces COVID Guidelines
The promotional committee for Hakata Matsubayashi decided on anti-coronavirus infection guidelines for the 2021 procession. To have the traditional festival without spreading the virus, the event will limit participants to about one-third of the average year and eliminate welcome drinks and foods at each visiting spot. Also, all participants will wear blue ribbons to show appreciation to the local medical workers. It will be the first Hakata Matsubayashi procession since the event became registered as one of Japan’s Intangible Cultural Properties in 2020.
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: Fukuoka Now posts summaries of Kyushu area news for those who cannot read Japanese. These are mostly summaries of publicly posted news from the Japanese media. Errors might occur during translation, those are ours. Images are sourced separately and are for illustrative purposes only. Use
Okushida-san: The Shrine of Hakata’s Guardian Deity
Kushida Shrine, referred to affectionately by locals as Okushida-san, has been home to the city’s guardian deity since olden times. Although Kushida Shrine has been mentioned several times in this column over the years, oddly, it has never been officially showcased. Kushida Shrine traces its history of protecting Hakata back more than 1,260 years to the year 757 when it was first built. Amaterasu, the sun goddess and the highest deity in Japanese mythology have been enshrined here since before the shrine was erected.
There are many things to see inside Kushida Shrine. If you are going for the first shrine visit of the new year, remember to check the lucky direction on the