Wakakusa Yamayaki

Burning down a mountain is something i wouldn’t want to miss seeing once. Each year in middle of January (i think usually it’s on the 15th – but this year it was on the 23rd) a spectacle like this can be seen in Nara when they burn the dry grass on the Wakakusa Hill.

Wakakusa Yamayaki starts around 5.30pm with purification rituals and prayers for safety during the event, followed by a fireworks display around 6pm. Shortly after the fireworks the dead winter grass at the base of Wakakusa Hill is ignited. This is done by priests dressed as warriors, using torches lit with the sacred flame from Kasuga Shrine. I didn’t see those priests (was arriving in Nara a bit late and got even more delayed trying to find a parking space) but hopefully i will get another chance next year to make some pictures of them too.

The fires spread quickly and by 6.20-6.30pm the whole hill is engulfed in flames. The best view is from the foot of the hill in Nara Park. The spectacle draws in quite a bit of a crowd but because the mountain can be seen from pretty much anywhere in Nara it shouldn’t be a problem to find a good viewing spot with clear sight – i found a good spot that wasn’t too crowded to set up my tripod at the green outside the Todaiji-temple grounds. The whole thing is over rather quickly – so make sure you get to your place before 6pm or you gonna miss out on it.

Transport: Within walking distance of the Nara train station. Parking for car is available but i suggest you come early as a lot of spectators arrive after 5pm and parking spaces fill up quickly.

Website: Nara Tourist information has information about it with a schedule of the event (all in Japanese). If you go back to the startpage of this site you will be able to set the language to English but there isn’t much information available except the date.