The Hina Hanging Decoration Festival in Izu Inatori

By Tomomi Dodd

What is the Hina Hanging Decoration Festival in Izu Inatori?

You may have heard about “Hinamatsuri”, known as “Girl’s Day,” which is held on March 3rd to celebrate young girl’s health and happiness in Japan. The celebration typically entails displaying “Hinamatsuri” decorations with Heian-style dolls positioned on a red carpeted stand. They look pretty and they can be very expensive.

Inatori Onsen, known as a hot spring resort in Shizuoka Prefecture on the edge of the Izu Peninsula, about 2 hours by train from Tokyo to the south, has its own unique tradition called the “Hina Hanging Decoration Festival.” This unique hinamatsuri style in Izu Inatori started in late the Edo period when the public began making handmade dolls using scraps of kimono and sewing them onto long strips of cloth. There are about 25 kinds of doll designs and each has a meaning. For example, owls represent fortune and cranes represent longevity.

This is the charm my mother got for me. From the top, the peach represents women. It wishes for longevity, health, and prosperity. The second is a crawling child. It represents healthy growth of children. Lastly, the bag represents money.

The main event of the festival is held at “Bunka Koen Hina no Kan” in Inatori, usually from around mid-Jan till the end of March. A bonus tip is that if you go to Kawazu Station near Inatori, you can also see cherry blossom from early February, known as “Kawazu Zakura.” I visited Inatori in early 2020 right before the beginning of the pandemic and I had a fantastic time with rich cultural experiences, hot springs, cherry blossoms, and great seafood!!!!!

How To Get To Izu Inatori:

It takes about 2 hours to get to Izu Inatori station from Tokyo station. There are JR Shinkansen to Atami and you can take JR Express trains to Izu Inatori station.

(Izu peninsula is a windfall for the student of geology – EDUCATION IN JAPAN COMMUNITY Blog (wordpress.com))

References:

Hanging doll decorations | Inatori Onsen Ryokan Cooperative Association