“Mizuakari Festival” in Kumamoto City
54,000 candle lights create a fantastic night festival!
Mizuakari festival is a 2-day annual event which is held every October in Kumamoto City. During the festival, candle lights are used to create a magical depiction of an autumn night.
The total number of candles used for the festival is as many as 54,000! The location of the event is a popular tourist area stretching all the way from Hanabata Park, where you can see camphor trees with an estimated age of 600 – 700 years old, to Kumamoto castle.
River-bed water from Kumamoto’s proud Mount Aso carry the beauty of the candle lights with it. The dark autumn sky and clear, fresh waters of Aso make the gentle lights ever more beautiful. It’s definitely a sight to see!
Festival run by local volunteers
The Mizuakari festival is not only about its beautiful atmosphere but also about its minimal environmental impact. We have been aiming to make the festival as environmentally sustainable as possible by producing less waste. Bamboo used for decorating the candle lights are sourced from local areas where overgrown bamboo forests are trimmed to prevent any damage to neighbouring areas. When the festival is over, the bamboo is recycled into fertilizer and/or charcoal.
This festival is run by over 5,000 local volunteers who carry out all related activities such as cutting and decorating bamboo, lighting up the candles and cleaning up.
Please come and visit the Mizuakari festival!
Click here for details:
http://mizuakari.net/pc/index.html