Akita Lighting Up the World
- Cassidy O'Brien
- Oct 11, 2018
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 12, 2018
Walking through the streets of Akita, Japan during August is truly a magical experience unlike any other. From August 3-6, the city shuts down and becomes illuminated by thousands of moving lanterns in the sky with millions of people chanting “dokkoisho, dokkoisho,” and the intense notes of flutes and drums.
The Akita Kanto Festival is an annual event, held in Akita, Japan, that is designed to scare away evil spirits before the fall harvest. As tradition goes, only the men are allowed to participate in carrying the pole, adorned with lanterns, since if women touch the pole, there will be a famine that year. Rather the women support the men on the sidelines, playing instruments and chanting their team on.
It is far more glamorous to be a spectator than a performer at the Kanto Festival. Thousands of performers balance immense candle-lit lanterns on their palms, shoulders, hips, or even foreheads to show their skill and strength. These bamboo poles each weighing roughly 90 pounds and are about 45-feet-tall. Depending on how the individual balances the pole, it bends significantly and the wind is never a friend to the performers.
My brother, Brayden O’Brien, who attends Akita International University, has participated in the festival since 2016. As an alumnus of High Point University, O’Brien chose to study abroad at Akita, Japan and fell in love with the sport as it truly is unmatched for anything America has to offer.
Kanto has tested O’Brien in ways that he didn’t think were possible, in both reference to his strength and sense of trust and teamwork, forming life-long bonds with his teammates. The only downfall is the toll the sport takes on your body. Every Christmas, he returns home with a large bruise on his forehead and torn up hands. However, he wouldn’t trade the sport for anything in the world.
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