Ahead of the Doll's Festival on the 3rd of next month, in Yanagawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture, floats carrying children dressed as hina dolls toured around the area.
This event was held as part of the Yanagawa Doll's Festival Sagemon Tour, which began on the 11th, with the aim of getting people to know about Sagemon, a traditional hanging decoration that has been passed down in Yanagawa City since the Edo period.
On the first day, the 11th, a ritual was held at Hiyoshi Shrine in Yanagawa City to pray for the success and safety of the festival.
Approximately 30 people dressed in gorgeous costumes, dressed as hina dolls, three court ladies, and five people playing the role of the five-bayashi floats departed from the shrine one after another.
The group marched for about 3 kilometers, singing ``Happy Doll's Festival,'' and the tourists who visited were able to enjoy the early Doll's Festival.
A woman visiting from Fukuoka City said, ``It was very sparkly and nice.I thought it would be great if the spring atmosphere spread from Yanagawa.''
The Sagemon Meguri event will be held until April 3rd, and events such as a water parade will be held during the event.
Tsutomu Takahashi, chairman of the Yanagawa Doll's Festival Executive Committee, said, ``There are many things to see in the city, so I hope people can feel the arrival of spring in Yanagawa.''