The New Year's annual "first shooting party" was held in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, where archery enthusiasts shoot the first arrows in hopes of improving their skills.
The ``First Shooting Party'' is held by the Shiga Prefectural Kyudo Federation on January 3 every year, and this year 52 enthusiasts from their teens to their 80s participated.
First, a ceremony called 'Yawatari' was held to shoot the first arrow. Fired the first arrow.
After this, the participants entered the shooting range one after another and shot two arrows at a time with the hope of improving their skills.
Archery competitions are usually held in white or black uniforms, but at the first shooting event, we saw women arching in gorgeous pink and light blue kimonos typical of the New Year.
Ei Azumi, 20, a university student, said, "I shot arrows because I wanted to cherish every single shot in order to improve my skills. This year, I'm good at both literary and military arts, and I've earned enough credits at university, and I've also got a rank in Japanese archery. I want to take it and make it a fulfilling year."