“Summer Festival Memories” Part 3 takes us right in front of Nishinomiya City Hall, to the “Noryo Bon Odori Festival” held every year at Rokutanji Park. “Noryo” means keeping cool and escaping the heat.
This year it was held on August 2 and 3, so let’s take a brief dip into those memories. “Summer Festival Memories” is a 7-day series reported by Kagayaki No. 509, a Nishitsu supporter.
Since this was the 45th event, this Bon Odori festival has been going on since at least around Showa 53 (1978). Apparently, back in 2007 they even had oden for sale, plus crayfish fishing and tadpole fishing. Source
Here it is on the map↓
The address is 7-25 Rokutanji-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo.
As expected, Miyatan is wildly popular!! He’s getting swarmed like he’s at an intense press scrum.
By the way, the “Miyatan Ondo,” a dance you can only do in Nishinomiya, actually had a CD released nine years ago (in 2014).
It looks like the dance circles formed two, even three layers. Apparently it was the biggest one yet. For the Bon Odori music, they played some unusual tracks you don’t hear elsewhere, like Ikkyu-san and Dango San Kyodai. The Arale-chan Ondo seemed to be a slightly different version. Now I’m curious.
Miyatan’s eyes were popular too.You just want to touch them, right?
That wraps up our report on the Noryo Bon Odori Festival. Which Nishinomiya summer festival will appear tomorrow? Let’s enjoy another trip down memory lane.
