Two miraculous days of magic unraveling”… I went to the “Tobita Shinchi Summer Festival” known to those in the know.
Children’s Danjiri” moving through the Shinchi area
Uchi~chimasho, motto hitotsuken, t~tantotantotantotantotantotantotantotantotantotantotantotantotantotantotantot ……, XX, XX, XX, XX, XX, XX, …… let’s celebrate, …… Wasshoi! Wasshoi!
The children’s cheerful shouts echoed through Tobita Shinchi on Wednesday, July 24, weather permitting. About 10 minutes before the scheduled start time of 1:00 p.m., the Danjiri parade began. Eight children, both boys and girls, ranging from elementary to junior high school age, were riding on the danjiri, shouting loudly into megaphones and beating drums rhythmically. The “XX-san” is the trade name of a ryotei restaurant in Shinchi or a store in the area.
Pulling and pushing the danjiri are children and adults dressed in white happi coats. Men and women, young and old, mix together to pull the ropes in the front and push from behind. It is a very powerful scene. What is most impressive is the shouts of the children riding on the Danjiri, which are just as vigorous as the rest of the crowd. They are full of life and full of vitality. Their voices were full of energy.
There were only about 20 people watching, not many. There were only about seven people, a surprisingly small number, who were always ready with their cameras to take pictures. However, the Danjiris were moving energetically through the Shinchi district, praying for prosperous business without regard to such things. Some restaurants are open for business, and when the Danjiris pass in front of their establishments, the ladies who call out to the customers and the women in sexy costumes watch them with great interest. A woman dressed in a happi coat accepts a congratulatory gift from the woman who calls in, and gives her a towel and a fan as a thank-you gift. Some women watched from the stile and rail, some with one hand or an utiwa covering their mouths, while others hid behind the doorway and quietly peeked in.
Hot. In the intense heat with a maximum temperature of over 35 degrees Celsius, “Wasshoi! wasshoi! The Danjiris were moving forward in the heat of the day, with chants of “wasshoi! On the way, there are breaks on the main street and Hyakuban Street, where bottled tea, ice cream, canned beer, and watermelon are served. It was truly a “summer festival.
The Shinchi area looked the same as usual in the morning, but that all changed when the festival began. People came out from stores and houses to watch the festival. Men who had come to visit the Shinchi area were also watching the festival with rounded eyes. Many people were taking pictures and videos of the festival on their cell phones. Elderly people, middle-aged people, young people, and foreigners all seemed to be enjoying themselves. The Danjiri made its way through Shinchi and the surrounding shopping area, returning to the starting point, Tobita Fureai Kaikan, at around 2:35 p.m., bringing the first day’s parade to a close.
We spoke with some of the men who had been following behind the danjiri to watch the festival.
I asked some of the men who were watching the festival behind the danjiri, “I came here from Tokyo for this festival. I was interested in the colorful town. I’m glad to see it in person.
I’ve known about this festival for about five years, but I haven’t had a chance to come. This is the first time I have seen it.
During a break in the festival, both men spoke with a look of contentment on their faces.
The following day, Thursday, July 25. The festival started early, around 12:40 p.m., and the danjiris proceeded along the same course as on the first day. To prevent heat stroke, the vendors did not stop in front of their stores to read out the names of their stores, but instead proceeded slowly. Therefore, the event ended about 30 minutes earlier than the previous day. The rest of the event was the same. The number of visitors to the festival was about 15, slightly fewer than the previous day.
Two Miraculous Days” to Break the Magic of the Sanctuary
Tobita Shinchi is the largest entertainment district in Japan, located in Nishinari-ku, Osaka City. The Tobita Shinchi was originally a Tobita brothel that opened in 1918, and even after the Anti-Prostitution Law was fully enforced in the postwar period, it remained alive in the Reiwa era (2025) as a colorful entertainment district, which is a rarity in Japan.
Photography is usually prohibited in Tobita Shinchi. However, there are only two days a year when photography is exceptionally permitted. That is during the Tobita Summer Festival, also known as “Kodomo Daiko Danjiri” (Children’s Drum Festival), which takes place on the 24th and 25th of July every year. This is the only time when it is permitted to proudly hold up a camera and take pictures of the festival with the streets of Tobita Shinchi in the background. These two days, when the “magic” is lifted in the “sanctuary” where photography is basically prohibited, are also known as “two days of miracles.
This is the day of the Osaka Tenjin Festival, one of the three major festivals in Japan, and the summer festival is held on this day every year regardless of the day of the week. Officially, the festival is called “Kodomo Taiko Hikigyo (Children’s Drum Festival)” in the Tobita area. The schedule of this festival is also listed on the Nishinari Ward Office website.’ The festival was canceled in ’20 and ’21 to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, but in ’22 it was held for the first time in three years on a reduced scale in response to coronavirus countermeasures.
The festival started at around 1:00 pm. The starting point is Tobita Fureai Kaikan, located under the elevated Hanshin Expressway. From here, the parade proceeds along the following route: Daimon Street → Yamashita-suji Street → Shinkai-suji Shopping Street → Tobita Hondori Shopping Street → Shimoyamashita-suji Street → Seishun Street → Main Street (1st break: children rehydrate with tea and popsicles, adults with tea and beer cans) → Along the elevated railway line → Hyakuban Street (2nd break: children eat watermelon) → Wakana Street → Along the elevated railway line → Tobita Fureai Kaikan The route is a parade through the Shinchi area. It is like a parade through every corner of Shinchi.
This festival started around 1980-81 (Showa 55-56). The festival started around 1980-81, when there were no summer festivals in the town because of its location, so it was started with the idea of “for children. Signs are posted in the new area inviting children to participate. The festival will be held in case of light rain, but will be cancelled in case of rain. On the fence across the street from the Tobita Fureai Kaikan, there were many signs with the names of restaurants and stores and the amount of sponsorship (donation) written on them.
On this day, ryotei restaurants were open for business as usual, and some were open during the day. The sight of the Danjiri moving past the ryotei restaurants was well worth seeing. The combination of the gorgeous danjiri, people dressed in white and red happi coats, and the tasteful ryotei restaurants is a perfect match. The harmony of the old brothel district with the Danjiri group created an old-fashioned scene full of emotion.
Note that you can only photograph the “festival scene. Please note that you can only photograph the festival, not the ryotei (Japanese-style restaurants) or the women in the restaurants. In order to keep this good tradition going forever, please observe the minimum manners, such as “photographing the townscape as a background” only during the two-day festival, but “not photographing the women in the ryotei restaurants”.
Tobita Shinchi is currently operating under the Tobita Shinchi Cuisine Association. If you visit Tobita-shinchi, you will see that the streets are very clean and there is not a single piece of trash on the side of the road. The lighting is bright at night. Public toilets, parking lots, and rest areas are well maintained. This is possible because there are strict rules to protect the community and the community is still strong. The community is supported by people who manage the area well. On the night of the festival, a male customer with his phone out at the entrance to the main street was warned by a security guard patrolling on a bicycle. This is how rules are enforced in Tobita Shinchi.
Under the rules set by the Tobita Shinchi Cuisine Association, Tobita Shinchi has become so clean that a summer festival is held with the participation of children. In today’s society, where the local community is collapsing, there are many things to learn from the autonomy that Tobita Shinchi still maintains for its residents. It is no exaggeration to say that the resilience of Tobita Shinchi is something that Japanese society should take a fresh look at. Tobita Shinchi, with its well-functioning community, will surely survive in the future.
Part 2: “Bikini-clad beauties everywhere, like a bathing beach! In the second part, “Walking around Tobita-shinchi and Matsushima-shinchi on the night of the festival, “ we will further introduce the excitement of the night of the festival and the festival in Matsushima-shinchi.
