NAMAHAGE! Today we are out on the Oga Peninsula going to see the Namahage cultural center, museum, and temple. The Namahage are deeply routed in the folklore in the northern part of Japan. There are several different versions of the spirit: the Namahage, the Yamahage, and the Amahage. The Namahage are in Akita and come down on New Years Eve to visit the local families. Bad children are threatened to be taken up into the mountains, good children are praised, and blessings are bestowed upon the whole family. Each village has a slightly different variation of the tradition and the costumes vary as well.
On this visit, we got to sit in a traditional style house and go through a reenactment of the ceremony. Liam got scolded by the Namahage and in the little Japanese I could understand, they wanted to know if he was listening to his elders. It was so much fun!
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