NHK Documentaries
We'll Keep Living in Aso: A Prayer for Recovery
2016 • E41 Oct 8, 2016 50m
The Onda Festival is held at the Aso Shrine in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan every summer on July 28. A tradition going back more than 800 years, it's the shrine's largest festival and features a procession of 200 people who pray for a good harvest. In 2016, a huge earthquake destroyed much of the shrine, but parishioners resolved to hold the festival anyway. This program features a festival veteran of more than 40 years and a young man who plays a leading role for the first time, channeling prayers for a stricken community.