Japan’s festival champions bring 2-ton straw sandals to Taiwan Lantern Festival street performance

▲ The dance team from Taichung Wen-Hua Senior High School will also perform in the Taiwan Lantern Festival street parade. (Photo / Provided by the Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

The “2014 Taiwan Lantern Festival,” held this year in Zhongxing New Village, Nantou County, will kick off on Valentine’s Day, February 14. On opening day, outstanding performance troupes from both domestic and international backgrounds will take part in lively street parades and stage shows.

This year, a total of 16 teams will perform, including YOSAKOI street dance groups from Hokkaido, Nagoya, Mie Prefecture, and Kochi Prefecture in Japan. Additionally, a team from Fukushima Prefecture will carry a giant straw sandal measuring 12 meters in length and weighing 2 tons to perform the traditional “Fukushima Straw Sandal Festival” in gratitude for Taiwan’s assistance following the 311 disaster.

Local Nantou groups such as the Nantou Ethnic Dance Troupe, National Taichung Wen-Hua Senior High School, Atayal Original Dance Workshop/Wild Stage, as well as mascots from theme parks across the country led by the Taiwan Tourism and Amusement Parks Association, colorful floats from Taiya Resort and Yehliu Ocean Park will all join in the festivities with spectacular performances.

▲ This year’s Taiwan Lantern Festival has invited renowned Japanese festival troupes to Taiwan, allowing the public to experience the charm of Japanese traditional festivals up close. (Photo / Provided by the Tourism Policy Section, Kochi Prefecture Tourism Promotion Division)

Stage performances in front of the main lantern will run from 4:30 p.m. until the evening lantern-lighting ceremony begins, with various performance groups taking turns to entertain. This year’s international opening performers include nine YOSAKOI teams from Hokkaido, Nagoya, Mie Prefecture, and Kochi Prefecture in Japan—each a top contender in their local festivals. Among them, “Yume no Senri” and “Hiragishi Tenjin” are multiple-time champions of the Hokkaido YOSAKOI SORAN Festival, while the team from Kochi Prefecture hails from the birthplace of the YOSAKOI Festival (Yosakoi Matsuri), offering audiences a glimpse into traditional Japanese cultural celebrations.

▲ Kochi Prefecture, Japan, has specially sent the “Asahi Foods” Yosakoi Night Parade team to perform in Taiwan. (Photo / Provided by the Tourism Policy Section, Kochi Prefecture Tourism Promotion Division)

On the Taiwanese side, participating groups include the Xin-Yi Township Bunun Cultural Association, known internationally for their “Eight-Part Harmony” singing, the Nantou Ethnic Dance Troupe, National Taichung Wen-Hua Senior High School renowned for its dance performances, and the Ten Drums Art Percussion Group, which has been nominated for Grammy Awards and Independent Music Awards in the United States. For more details and the performance schedule, please visit the “2014 Taiwan Lantern Festival” website.

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