To welcome in the new year, Nara's Oyamato Shrine holds their annual Oyumi Hajime Festival on January 4th. The purpose of the festival is to pray for good health and good harvests for the coming 12 months, and the highlight of the event is the display of Ogasawara style archery in front of the worship hall.
Both local junior high school students and members of the Nara Prefecture Archery Federation will be showing off their skills at the festival, which is scheduled to run from 1 pm until 3 pm.
Getting there
Oyamato Shrine is located an easy 7 minutes on foot (or under 5 minutes by taxi) from JR Nagara Station, which is served by the Manyo Mahoroba Line (also known as the Sakurai Line).
For those who opt to drive, the shrine is around 15 minutes from the Tenri Interchange on the Nishi Meihan Expressway. Limited on-site parking is available.
Kim Bergström @kim.b
Almost 12 years living in Asia. Passionate about Japan's off-the-beaten-path spots, family-friendly travel, flower events (all of them!) and the amazing tea culture here. 🍵🌼🌸
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