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Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu!!!…or Ake Ome if you are a bit cooler. Another year has been and gone and the 12 year cycle of the Chinese Zodiac makes this year, the Year of the Horse. The horse is a symbol of power in Japan, but is also believed to be defined by hard work and self reliance – very apt for Japan and the intentions of the Abe government. Those who were born in the Year of the Horse will be in their element this year. Anything with any connection to the horse is considered lucky. Here are my suggestions for potential horse related highlights in 2014.
Hakuba ‘White Horse’
Hakuba is one of Japan’s most famous ski resorts in Japan. The Kanji characters literally mean ‘White Horse’. This Nagano ski resort is already reporting perfect ski conditions in the Alps – could this be the best ever year?…maybe.
Gunma ‘Herd of Horses’
Rural Gunma sits in the middle of the mountains a couple of hours north of Tokyo. In fact it was my home. It isn’t known for much apart from its hot spring baths and Konyaku root vegetable. It actually has some stunning destinations and allows foreigners to discover a chunk of rural, real Japan. They also have a cute little mascot called Gunma Chan. This could be Gunma’s year.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwmeKHXYqzI]
Kumamoto ‘Origin of the Bear’
OK, so Kumamoto (lit. Origin of the Bear) relates to bears and the Kumamon city mascot is testament to that having generated an estimated 12 billion yen for the city over the last couple of years. Bears have got nothing to do with horses. However, one of Kumamoto’s Meibutsu (specialities) is ‘Basashi’ or raw horse. Horse meat is very healthy and tender and I am sure there is some school of thought suggesting that eating horse in the Year of the Horse is an extra good thing.
Yabusame ‘Horse back archery’
Yabusame archery dates back to the 12th century and was a form of training samurai for battles. Today, Yabusame is practised at some Shinto shrines across thee country and involves a man dressed in traditional costume racing full pelt on horseback down a few hundred metres of track and firing arrows at three targets. One of the big festivals takes place at Tsurugaoka Hachmangu shrine in Kamakura on September 16th. Very impressive.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnksdEPVtec]
Fujisaki Hachimangu Matsuri AKA “The drunken horse festival”
This shrine in Kumamoto (of horse eating fame) is also famous for getting the horses drunk. The festival was known as the ‘Boshita Festival’ and dates back to a samurai parade returning from wars with Korea during in the 16th century. The September festival is one of the regions biggest and consists of decorated horses who are also given a drop of sake.
Yonaguni horses
Yonaguni is a remote subtropical island with the dive world’s best kept secret and its very ‘lost city of Atlantis’. If you are into your diving, this is a must and a unique dive site. If you are on the island and above the water, you could ride one of the native Yonaguni horses. The rare breed of horse is only just over a metre tall, but they can be seen roaming the island and is quite an unusual sight compared to mainland Japan.
Happy New Year in the Year of the Horse. Yoroshiku!
