The annual Lerch Festival, named after the Austro-Hungarian soldier who is said to have first introduced skiing to Japan, was held at a ski resort in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture. was unveiled.
Kanayayama Ski Resort in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture is said to be the place where Major Lerch of the then-Austro-Hungarian Empire first introduced skiing to Japan 113 years ago in 1909, and the ski resort is named after the ski resort at this time every year. The Lerch Festival is being held.
On the 4th, the festival began with a fanfare by members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, and local elementary school students enlivened the venue with their taiko drum performances.
Next, there was a demonstration of ``one-cane skiing,'' a technique that was passed down at the time, in which people skied using a single cane, and local people wearing hakamaya and coats lined up to ski down the slope.
Families and others who visited the event enjoyed themselves by going sledding at the ski resort and eating at food stalls lined up at the venue.
A fourth grade elementary school boy who visited with his family said, ``This was my first time seeing one-cane skiing, but it looked like fun.''
A man in his 70s who set up a food stall said, ``It's a historical festival, so I'm glad it's being held so lively.It's a familiar ski resort that I've been coming to since I was a child, and I want to cherish it.'' Ta.