At Himuro Shrine in Nara City, where the god of ice is enshrined, an "ice offering festival" was held to pray for the prosperity of the ice-handling business in the summer by dedicating a 1-meter-high ice pillar.
The "Ice Festival" is held on May 1st every year after the tradition that the ritual of donating ice to the imperial court was held at the Himuro Shrine during the Nara period.
On the 1st, in front of the main shrine, two ice pillars with a height of about 1 meter, which were frozen with Thai and carp swimming in them, were offered.
And on the stage in the precincts, dance was dedicated in the hope that this summer will be blessed with good weather and the business dealing with ice will flourish.
There was also a dance performed by children, and many people were looking forward to it.
It rained in Nara City on the 1st, and the maximum temperature during the day was about 17 degrees Celsius, which was about the same as in early April. I enjoyed the taste.
A man in his 60s living in Nara said, "It's a traditional and unique festival, so I'm glad I could see it."
A woman in her twenties who returned home from Tokyo said, "The atmosphere was gorgeous and the children's dedication to dance was cute."