
When you talk about autumn, it has to be the autumn leaves! ...
Japanese countryside is well-known for preserving the nostalgia and it allows the visitors to join this journey back in time by hosting various cultural events. One small town in Okayama Prefecture, Yakage, has its own special festival every year in the month of November called the Yakage Shukuba Festival or the Yakage Daimyo Festival. The special elements of this festival is a parade representing the Feudal representatives from Japanese Edo period, local dance groups performing in their traditional yukata, large variety of delicious street food and samurai rifle shooting enactments.
The participants of the Feudal parade would pose for pictures in front of the spectators and many local news channels cover this event.
The best way to enjoy this event is to arrive early in the morning by 8am and saving a spot for watching the rifle shoot and the parade (in two different locations) before the crowd arrives. To reach Yakage, you need to board a train from Oakayam station in the JR Hakubi Line and change a train at Kiyone station. The journey takes a little more than an hour and once you arrive at Yakage you would know what we meant by time travel – the old nostalgia is waiting for you at Yakage town.