I went to the pedestrian paradise event at “Honwaka Shotengai” held on Sunday, September 24. Actually, I had never been before… It’s one of the biggest festivals in Nishinomiya, and it was incredibly lively, so I’m writing this up as an archive!
Kagayaki No. 509, a Nishitsu supporter, was there too.
There was a good-looking artist there too～
And “Kou-chan,” the character of Honwaka Shotengai, was there～
Of course, since it’s a major Nishinomiya event, Mayor Ishii was there too～
Even a fire truck like this came in, making it a pedestrian paradise that little kids could enjoy too! Is this maybe the only place in Nishinomiya doing this?
It started at 11:00. I went around 16:00～
People were already gathering～
Super ball scooping. They had it at several spots around the shopping street～
Turkish ice cream was super popular too, and they were selling a lot～
That’s the power of personality! No wonder it’s popular lol
Festival staples like candied apples and frankfurters were also being sold by the shops in the shopping street～
Chocolate bananas～ I always think this colorful chocolate is just unfairly tempting～
They even had candied mandarin oranges.
Still, this crowd was amazing. A true pedestrian paradise!
Goldfish scooping too.
By 16:00, some menu items were starting to sell out.
Grilled squid tentacle skewers are a sure thing too～
The staff at ramen shop “Takawa” were flashing big peace signs too!!
They also had pedestrian-paradise special bargains
Baby castella is always popular, but these even had messages on them～
There was also a fun musical performance, and everyone was listening closely～
Amazing soap bubbles!!! This peaceful kind of pedestrian paradise that you don’t usually get to see is really nice～
Things were relaxed and heartwarming around the Inari shrine too～～
There’s even a transformation corner
Ta-da
You could even dress up like a Self-Defense Force member～
There was even Antarctic ice brought back by the Self-Defense Forces!! It melted right away lol. So fleeting
They had a vehicle like this on display too～
There was also something kind of scary.
This is trauma-level scary 😱
A whole pickled cucumber! It was super thick. Getting a little discount is part of the fun.
With this many different foods being sold, the beer just keeps going down～～～
Ooooooh! Today’s final act has arrived!!!
The Awa Odori dance began. This is the women’s dance.
There were several Awa Odori groups,
and when you hear the shamisen, flutes, and other instruments, it really feels like, “Here it comes, here it comes!”
The nonstop rush of Awa Odori groups taking turns was spectacular
Awa Odori has men’s dance and women’s dance styles, but women dance the men’s style too.
Wow, look at that energy!
Seeing them dance with such happy smiles really left an impression～
