“How’s everyone feeling!?” Haruka Ayase Appears at the Aizu Festival in a Pink Haori; Crowds Cheer “Yee-ha!” in the Aizu Dialect

“Thank you very much”

A row of men and women dressed as samurai, all with stern expressions. Sitting right at the front, flashing a warm smile, is actress Haruka Ayase (41).

On September 20, the “Aizu Domain Lord’s Procession”—the highlight of the Aizu Festival (Aizu-Wakamatsu City, Fukushima)—took place in the city center, and Ayase made an appearance dressed as a warrior, captivating the spectators gathered along the route.

“In 2013, Ayase starred in the NHK Taiga drama *Yae no Sakura*, playing Yae Niijima, the daughter of an artillery instructor for the Aizu Domain who was active from the Bakumatsu period through the Meiji era. Because of that connection, she has participated in the Aizu Festival since 2014. This marks her 11th appearance,” said a local newspaper reporter.

Ayase appeared wearing the combat uniform that Yae wore when she fought against the new government forces with a rifle during the Boshin War, paired with a haori dyed a vivid pink. At the starting point of the procession, she sat alongside the warriors as described at the beginning, and when asked to greet the crowd, she said,

“Good morning! The rain has stopped, hasn’t it? Are you cold? Sasukenee ka!?”

—using the Aizu dialect phrase “Sasukenee ka!?”—which means “Are you all right?” When loud applause erupted from the crowd along with shouts of “So cute!,” she responded in Aizu dialect with “Arigatona-shi.”

Afterward, some 600 warriors dressed as the feudal lord and his retainers paraded through the city. Ayase stood on the bed of a large truck, smiling and waving continuously to the crowds gathered along the route. At one point, she took the microphone and said,

“The seasons are changing rapidly—is everyone feeling okay!?”

, prompting shouts of “Yeah!” from the crowd along the route.

Speaking of Ayase, her starring film *First Voice: Our Ace Attorney* opens in theaters on October 2.Set in 1989, during the height of the bubble economy, this legal drama is inspired by the true story of unconventional lawyers who refused to give up on speaking out as they strove to forge a new future. Ayase plays Michiko Asahi, a lawyer who stands up for her convictions.

Ayase shone like a cherry blossom in her “battle attire,” but her appearance in a red bodycon dress with shoulder pads is also not to be missed—