By YIKAI ZHOU/ Staff Writer
January 26, 2025 at 12:00 JST
Mount Wakakusayama burns while fireworks light up the night sky in Nara on Jan. 25. Yakushiji temple can be seen in the foreground. (Composite of eight photos by Emiko Arimoto)
NARA--A festival that involves setting fire to a grassy mountain slope was held at Mount Wakakusayama here to herald the early arrival of spring.
As tourists and others watched in the darkness of Jan. 25, about 33 hectares of dead grass on the 342-meter-tall mountain was set alight.
“Yamayaki” is also a traditional event held for the repose of the souls of ancestors. Hand-held torches crafted from pine trees in Nara Park were used to light the fire.
About 600 fireworks lit up the night sky from around 6:15 p.m. as 300 volunteers, local firefighters and others, torched the mountainside.
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