Colorful wagasa, traditional Japanese parasols, are lit up at Toji Hiroba Square in Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture on Friday.
17:48 JST, May 19, 2024
KUSATSU, Gunma – A special event has been taking place in the hot spring town of Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture since Friday. In the coming weeks, illuminated, colorful wagasa (traditional Japanese parasols) will brighten the nights at this resort.
The Wagasa Festival was launched by the Kusatsu Onsen Tourism Association to attract more tourists even during the off-season following the Golden Week holidays.
The association put wagasa in the spotlight as a decoration that matches the retro streetscape of Kusatsu, especially during the upcoming rainy season. Not far from Yubatake – the ‘field of warm water’ that supplies the city’s baths – in Toji Hiroba Square, forty-eight Japanese parasols in different colors, including red, purple and green, are arranged in rows on the ground or on top illuminated. wooden fences, creating a magical atmosphere.
“They radiate a Japanese feeling. It is very beautiful,” said Eriko Kinoshita, 71, from Amakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture.
The event lasts until June 2. In the evening the parasols are lit from 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Outside these times the parasols will remain in place, unless the weather is too bad.
