On Saturday, August 30, “Shukugawa Senbon Toka（しゅくがわせんぼんとうか）” was held in Shukugawa, so we went to check it out. Shachomi was mostly doing the livestream and didn’t get to take many photos, so this article will be brought to you with photos by Kuroki-san.
This year marked the 27th edition of Shukugawa Senbon Toka, a traditional event that began in 1999. Surprisingly, there may still be quite a few people who don’t know about it.
It’s made using 1,000 candles and processed plastic bottles.
At first, they used different kinds of containers, including aluminum cans, but after plenty of trial and error, they switched to plastic bottles about 20 years ago.
These bottles have water inside. That keeps them from tipping over in the wind, makes the candles harder to go out even if wax spills, and lets them be crushed down and taken away during cleanup.
And above all, plastic bottles are great at making the light look beautiful too.
Oh. Looks like there’s something a little different here.
That’s right! Since Nishinomiya is celebrating its 100th anniversary as a city, there’s a “100.” And then…
The “に” is the “ni” in Nishinomiya, properly done in red and green
On this candle night, Mayor Ishii apparently lit a whole lot of them with a utility lighter too. Lighting this “100” for the 100th anniversary must have felt pretty moving.
Shukugawa Senbon Toka is an event that began from the wish to “keep preserving nature forever”, including Shukugawa’s cherry blossoms, pine trees, and river.
There are mountains, and there’s a river. As Shachomi walked around, she could even hear crickets chirping. It really is wonderful that Nishinomiya has nature with everything included.
The summer festival was great too, but the sound of the river was so calming. People in yukata, surrounded by the atmosphere created by the candlelight. This may well become one of Nishinomiya’s summer traditions.
It’s held every year on the last Saturday of August. Still, it was so hot that night. Ahhh, I should’ve brought a portable fan.
This one is a still from the Nishitsu livestream
Myaku-Myaku-sama! These were painted by the children of Koshikiiwa. Once they’re colored, they look beautiful in a whole different way.
These plastic-bottle candles are taken home as souvenirs by little kids and other visitors. They’ll probably become lifelong memories.
A doggy, one of Shachomi’s favorites. This Shiba Inu’s collar was glowing like crazy too. These days they even light up in rainbow colors, huh?
There was a crowd gathered by the bridge near Kurakuenguchi Station.
So this is what everyone wanted to photograph.
We also got to take photos of families with small children. Did they turn out nicely?
Listeners left lots of comments too, like “It’s so beautiful,” “It’s moving,” “It’s so soothing,” and “This would be great for a date too, it’s such a beautiful scene.”
This event began from the wish to keep preserving nature. Candles and plastic bottles are man-made things, but the flickering flames were so lovely and beautiful that it made me want to come again next year. Kuroki-san, thank you for the wonderful photos! Great photos really are moving.
