日本のよいものを世界へ

Holding period

2022.10.30

Japan’s “Beautiful Villages” come together at Tokyo Station

Based on the concept of “a festival where visitors can experience the charms of the most beautiful village in Japan and create connections,” this festival allows visitors to experience the charms of the most beautiful village in Japan in a single day through traditional performing arts inherited from the village, a market selling the village’s specialty products, and hands-on experience of the village life and work.

Event Details 1: Traditional village performing arts

Oshika Kabuki 11:30~12:00
Oshika Kabuki is a local form of kabuki that has been handed down in Oshika Village since the Edo period (1603-1868). As the greatest entertainment in farming villages, jishibai was popular throughout Japan from the end of the Edo period to the modern era, and Oshika Kabuki has carried on the original form of jishibai to this day. The Oshika Kabuki Preservation Society was established in 1956. In 2017, it became the first jishibai in Japan to be designated a National Important Intangible Cultural Property in the field of jishibai.

Kiso Town, Nagano Prefecture】Kiso Odori, Kiso Bushi 13:00~13:30
The Kiso Odori dance, known throughout Japan, is said to have originated as a memorial service for Kiso Yoshinaka, when people in armor and helmets danced to the tune of Kiso-bushi after a torchlight procession. Kiso Odori is danced in a circle while singing Kiso-bushi in a live voice. In summer, the dancers wear yukata (summer kimono), geta (geta), and sandals. Outside of summer, the dancers wear kimonos, white tabi socks, and sandals. The dance has the characteristics of a Bon Odori dance that anyone can easily learn and dance.

Iitate Village, Fukushima Prefecture] Komiya Rice Planting Dance 14:00~14:30
Iitate-mura’s rice planting dance has a tradition of more than 300 years, and has been passed down through 18 districts, each with its own unique development in terms of dance, song, and costumes. Because of its variety, it has been designated as Fukushima Prefecture’s Intangible Folk Cultural Asset as “Iitate-mura no Taueodori. The rice-planting dance of Komiya, located in the slightly southeastern part of the village, is characterized by its gorgeous colors and is the only dance that continues to be performed even though most of the districts have suspended their activities after the evacuation of the entire village due to the nuclear power plant accident caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Shiiba Village, Miyazaki Prefecture] Shiiba Kagura 15:00~15:30
In Shiiba Village, kagura has been handed down in 26 districts and is designated as a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. The kagura is characterized by the use of wild boars and deer for dedication to the kagura inn and the use of millet, soybeans, azuki beans, and other grains in the dance, which strongly reflect the hunting and slash-and-burn culture of the mountainous region. There are also kagura (Shinto music and dance) performances that retain the old form and are rare in Japan, such as Sho-kyo, which explains the meaning of tori-mono (harvested goods).

Event Details 2: Village Life & Work Experience Booth

Booths where visitors can experience the way of life and work unique to the village. Experience life and work in the village by touching wood, experiencing a hunter’s work, and more.

Event Details 3: The Most Beautiful Village in Japan Marche

Specialty products of the village will be gathered in Tokyo for this day only. The villagers themselves will be selling their products, so you can not only purchase their specialties, but also get information about the village’s attractions and sightseeing.

Event SummaryOutline