Many travelers to Japan don’t get to Tohoku, or the “northern country,” which is too bad because in many ways, it is here that traditional culture is best preserved.

Winter is filled with a number of famous festivals, and I’ve been spending the better part of a week trying to see most of them. David has already covered the Sapporo festival; I’ll start today with a few pictures of Sedo Matsuri, commonly referred to as “Namahage,” which takes place on the Oga Peninsula (get our your atlases). The “real” Namahage takes place on December 31st and is for locals. The Feburary version is for visitors, but if you ever get the chance to see it, you won’t feel that you have been gypped.

The word namahage comes from the local word for “blister.” The namahage themselves are fierce looking demons. As one scholar writes:

Some ethnologists and folklorists suggest it relates to a belief in deities (or spirits) coming from abroad to take away misfortune and bring blessings for the new year, while others believe it is an agricultural custom where the kami from the sacred mountains visit. These kami (spirits) have the power to assure rich harvests, so they are welcomed and feasted.

In the daytime, Shinsan-jinja, where Namahage takes place, is a beautiful spot, nestled up against a mountain side.

Things change once it is dark. Taiko drumers pound out a fierce rhythm while people huddle around a bonfire. The namahage come down from a snowy mountain side carrying torches and knives (the torches are real; the knives are not).

Once down by the humans, the namahage target are little children – or the occasional foreign visitor who looks very out of place. It ends with a mamemaki (this time it was rice kernels), free mochi and a very civilized lottery.