初めて見る武者行列にタイムスリップした気分の研修員　Participants feel like they have gone back in time to see a samurai procession for the first time

3月31日、福利厚生プログラムではアルメニア、ジョージア、サモア、フィリピン、エチオピア、ナイジェリア、ザンビア、タイ、モンゴル、インドネシアの研修員15人で群馬県甘楽町のさくら祭りに参加しました。

最後は皆の希望で「道の駅甘楽」で地産の新鮮な野菜や製品を購入して甘楽町とお別れ。
地域の人たちが協力し合ってつくり上げた温かな雰囲気のお祭り、古きものを大切に伝統を守ろうとする人たちの思い、東京では手に入らない生き生きした地物の美味しさなど、宝もののような甘楽町の豊さを体験できた1日でした。
甘楽町の皆さま、この旅に協力してくれた皆さん、参加してくれた研修員の皆、ありがとうございました！

On March 31, 15 participants from Armenia, Georgia, Samoa, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Zambia, Thailand, Mongolia, and Indonesia joined a cherry blossom festival in Kanra Town, Gunma Prefecture as the Participants Welfare Program.
Kanra town, surrounded by nature, has many historical sites and cultural assets such as the Rakusanen Garden, which is a famous scenic site, and the Ogawa Weir, one of the 100 best water in Japan, runs through the town, and the townscape is quaint and reminiscent of the Edo period. Every year during the cherry blossom season, the Obata Castle Town Cherry Blossom Festival is held, in which a procession of warriors parades through the town.
Unfortunately, due to the cold weather in March, the cherry blossoms were still only a few, but the blue sky spread out and the sun was shining brightly on the day of the festival.
As we waited with local people for warriors parades on a street lined with white-walled samurai residences, streamers swayed in the distance and the procession approached.
Following the horse-riding generals, brave spear troop, and children's gun troop, there were also ladies in straw hat and draping a ramie veil which swayed in the wind, and armored warriors from various area added glamour to the parades. Finally, even Ninja has appeared! The performance of somersaulting was cheered by the audience.
The participants were excited to see the warrior parades for the first time and were amazed at the 20kg of armor.
Following the procession, we walked along the main street to Obata Hachiman Shrine. The sparkling Ogawa weir was flowing along the street, and a small waterwheel was spinning. What a lovely scenery... We are grateful to the local people for protecting this beautiful waterway.
At Obata Hachiman Shrine, a prayer ceremony was held to pray for victory, and dignified warriors and child samurai took pictures with the participants.
Leaving Hachiman Shrine, the next stop was the Kanra Hinamatsuri (Girl’s festival) site. At the former junior high school, we were greeted by Girls’ doll decorations on shoe boxes, which were designed by the interns to revitalize the town. 2000 dolls with various expressions and more than 100 years old dolls were displayed and we enjoyed decorations.
We also stopped by Rakusanen, a nationally designated cultural asset, located next to the school yard. The moment we passed through the gate, the beautiful Japanese garden spread out in front of us and the borrowed scenery of the mountains of Kanra and Joshinetsu was breathtaking! The participants seemed to love the place, playing with the graceful swimming carp in the pond, relaxing in the pavilion, and hopping around by the pond. However, we were getting hungry so we headed for the festival square next door.
The distant sounds of the festival music grew louder, and we came face to face with the magnificent floats and the Matsuri music band. The participants were listening to the tempo of the drums and flutes, and seeing this, the members of the band took turns dressing the participants in Happi coats. It was very cool to see everyone playing the festival's important musical instruments powerfully.
Lunchtime was spent freely in the square, as some of the participants were fasting during Ramadan, and then we went to the World Heritage site of Tomioka Silk Mill.
The cocoon warehouse was made of bricks made by local Kawara tile makers, which are also the basis of brick buildings such as Tokyo Station. The participants observed with great interest the demonstration of how cocoons are boiled to produce yarn. It is wonderful that this valuable historical buildings are well preserved, thanks to the careful protection of Kataoka Kogyo, who inherited the silk mill from the Meiji government.
At the end of the tour, at everyone's request, we bought locally produced fresh vegetables and products at Kanra Roadside Station and were on our way to Tokyo.
It was a day of experiencing the richness of the Kanra town, which is like a treasure: the warm atmosphere of the festival created by the local people working together, the will of the people to cherish old things and preserve traditions, and vibrant, delicious local products that are not available in Tokyo.
Thank you to the people of Kanra, everyone who helped make this trip possible, and to all the participants who joined!

Comments from Participants
・This event was one-of-a-kind activity. We were able to experience a different lens about Japan and the life outside of the hustle-and-bustle in Tokyo.
・The day had been truly memorable. I was sp excited to see Samurai's costume in real life for the first time. Visiting a place brimming with vibrant cultural aspects and lush greenery, was a significant milestone of my journey here in Japan.
・I had an amazing time participating in this activity! Even though we missed out on seeing the cherry blossoms, we got to witness the stunning samurai parade which was truly beautiful. The city we visited was absolutely lovely and had such a wonderful atmosphere. I feel so fortunate to have been a part of it all!