On any given weekend in Japan, there is at least one festival on somewhere to be enjoyed. Of all the ones I have been to, Takanabe‘s Lantern Festival is one of my favourites.
The festival is held in Maizuru Park, where Takanabe Castle once stood. The thousands of lanterns that decorate the castle ruins represent the teachings of Takanabe’s great warrior, Tanesife Akisuki, who founded the school Meirin-do. The festival is the pride of the town, and it is said that people come from all over the prefecture for the special event.