Oga City

From Akita Wiki

1 Description
2 Festivals and Events
3 Sightseeing Destinations
4 Onsens
5 Restaurants
6 Shopping
7 External Links

Description

Oga City (男鹿市;-shi) is a city in Western Akita Prefecture.

Festivals and Events

Namahage Sedo (なまはげ柴灯), second weekend in Feb, Fri-Sun, 6-7:30 pm

Circle up around the bonfire and watch demons come down from the mountain to scare the crap out of little kids. Other activities include an explanatory play, drumming, dance, and mochi throwing. If you pick up one of the Namahage's raffia from the ground, you'll stay healthy all year.

Annual Taiko Workshop, 1st or 2nd weekend in March, Sat 12pm to Sun 5pm

Taiko enthusiasts from all over the ken (and some from farther afield) gather for this annual workshop. Classes are available for players of all ability levels. Participants with any taiko experience OR any musical experience are encouraged to take the "New Song" course, in which everyone learns a multi-instrumental full piece in two days. Sheet music is provided, or you can learn by ear. Other classes cover the odaiko, bamboo flute, and beginning technique for the chudaiko.

Most participants opt to spend the night in the Oga Seiko Grand Hotel as part of the experience. There is a huge enkai on Saturday night which culminates in an impromptu drunken performance. Highly recommended.

Workshop Cost: 1万, includes lunch on Sunday. Small discount for those who enroll with their taiko group.

Accommodation and enkai cost: 1万, includes dinner and breakfast

Application deadline: Feb. 20 for 2009, varies by year

Application forms are usually faxed to JETs in mid-January. To inquire about this event or request an application form, please email info@s-taiko.co.jp

Oga Fireworks, Aug 14, 7-9pm

Pretty great fireworks display over the port. Plenty of room to spread out, plenty of food stalls, and less hectic than Omagari, though traffic is a bit of a mess after the event. Flowers of fire start dotting the sky at 7:30.

Sightseeing Destinations

Goshado (五社堂)

A beautiful shrine (or rather, a set of five shrines) overlooking the shore of Oga, located not far from the Godzilla Rock. Take the Monzen bus line out from Oga Station to the very end of the line, then walk to the Akagami Shrine (赤神神社), where the 999 Stone Stairs leading to the shrine begin. Located behind the shrine is the Shinzan Trail. Beware, however - the bus runs once every hour, if that.

Shinzan Trail

(Japanese name not known) A mountain trail crossing over the Shinzan mountain, going from Goshado to the Namahage Museum. The view is incredible, but not this is not a trail for the faint of heart; it takes roughly four hours to cross and gets quite steep in places. Also, be aware that buses are uncommon at either end.

Namahage Museum (なまはげ館)

A museum dedicated to Oga's signature namahage festival. It features a video (in Japanese), a room of masks, and a corner where you can try putting on the Namahage outfit yourself. Next to the museum is the Oga Shinzan Folklore Museum, where performances of the Namahage ritual are held regularly. The Namahage Museum alone costs 500 yen per adult; a combined ticket costs 800. For more information, visit http://www.namahage.co.jp/namahagekan/english/