On Saturday, September 2025, 9, the Waraji Festival, a traditional event in the Nakiri region, will be held around Nakiri Fishing Port in Daio Town, Shima City.
This festival, based on ancient mythology, is a valuable event that preserves the culture and faith rooted in the region, and has been designated as an intangible cultural asset of Mie Prefecture.
The Waraji Festival originates from a legend in which the villagers made giant straw sandals to drive away a one-eyed, one-legged giant called Dandaraboushi (Dandarabochi) who was ravaging a village.
In the "Warajihiki Shinto Ritual" held in honour of this story, local children play the role of young boys and parade through town pulling large straw sandals the size of a tatami mat, carrying them out to sea and praying for safety at sea and a good catch.
This ritual is rare nationwide, and its historical value was recognized, leading to it being designated as an intangible cultural property of Mie Prefecture in 46.
Long ago, on Iyagashima (now Daiojima), off the coast of Nakiri, there lived a creature called "Dandaraboushi" who would cause storms and ravage villages.
It is said that the villagers, with the help of Iya Gongen, the god of waves, used large straw sandals, sardine nets, giant baskets and other items to make the villagers believe that there was a being greater than themselves in the village, and thus drove away the Dandara-boshi.
| Schedule | 2025/9/ 13 (Saturday) |
| Time | 9:00~21:00 |
| Venue | Around Nakiri Fishing Port (Nakiri, Daio-cho, Shima City, Mie Prefecture) |
*Please use the Nakiri Fishing Port parking lot.
*The roads within the town are narrow, so please refrain from parking on the street.
*Please cooperate as temporary road closures will be implemented as follows:
・Odoriko Dochu, Treasure Ship, and Mikoshi Passage Areas
・Waraji-floating (3:30pm-4pm) from Motouotake to the tourist parking lot
