A Wild North Japan Weekend: Namahage demons & a frozen waterfall

So technically this is two separate events in very different locations, but since they took place within the span of 4 days, it all feels like one crazy adventure.

Part One - The Namahage

It all starts with my interest in Japanese folklore, ghouls, and monsters. One type of Oni demon is the Namahage, which are said to reside in the Northern prefecture of Akita. According to legend, there is a shrine in a mountain range in Akita, where once a year in February the Namahage enter our world. The Namahage basically function like a Krampus or Anti-Santa, where they were said to maim and eat naughty and lazy children. In the old days, lazy kids would sit around the fire until their bellies turned pink, and so this is the most delicious part. I heard once a year in February, there is a reenactment and festival at the world heritage Namahage museum in Oga city. So finally in 2019, I decided to go on an adventure up north to see it for myself.

The bullet train to Akita is quite expensive, so to save money I spent the whole day riding local trains. It was a long and exhausting experience, however, it was a good chance to see the unique countryside scenery. When I passed through Yonezawa, there was an incredible amount of snow. I got really hungry when changing trains, and the only thing on the platform was an ice cream machine. So I grabbed one and quickly entered the next train. The train was mostly empty and so I didn't feel too bad eating the ice cream inside. Along the way, I remember seeing the expression on a family covered in snow as they entered the train after escaping from a white out blizzard and saw this giant Canadian holding ice cream. I must have looked insane - or just a typical Canadian.

So after roughly 12 hours on the train, I had arrived at Akita station and stayed at a cozy but affordable hotel with a rooftop hot spring. The next morning, I took one more train to Oga station. At the station, I could listen to a hilariously horrible audio recording in English trying to make a Namahage voice. From there, I took a taxi to the Namahage museum. Coming way too early in the day, I spent a great deal of time exploring the area, and watched some interesting documentaries about the Namahage tradition. Outside the museum, the locals were busy setting up for the big event that night. I'm sure a lot of preparation was needed to ensure the safety of the Namahage performers climbing down that icy hill at night. Later, I explored the area surrounding the museum, and waited until nightfall.

A large crowd gathered at the base of the nearby mountain, and there we all waited in the cold, dark night for what seemed like hours. Then, DRUMS - drums from atop the mountain rang down as if to foreshadow the coming of a fiery beast - and it did. The next thing we heard were the demonic growls of the ogres themselves, and then a fire worm began to descend the mountain, dozens of Namahage carrying torches down the mountain. They eventually reached the bottom and began to make their rounds through the thick crowd, searching for those naughty children to take away for dinner. But it seemed that they settled on dancing and other foods instead.

Afterwards, I took a bus back to Oga station, where I met even more Namahage, and decided to join their ranks. We spent the night terrorizing the town and kidnapping children in exchange for saké and food... just kidding.

Part Two - The frozen waterfall in Senjogahara

The following day was another long journey back to Kanto on the local trains. By the early evening, I arrived at Utsunomiya station and stayed at a cheap capsule hotel attached to some hot spring. It certainly wasn't the fanciest environment. Being a 6 foot 7 tall giant as I am, I couldn't fit into the capsule, so my feet were sticking out the end all night.

I got up early the next morning to meet Mr. Naoyasu, who had brought two of his students along with him for this hike. We drove for about two hours until we reached a parking lot by the entrace of Senjogahara, a wetland valley surrounded by many of Nikko National Park's notable mountains, such as Mount Nantai. We passed by the traditional boardwalk and ventured deep into the snowy wildnerness. The path wasn't so steep but it was quite a distance, and perhaps I was still a bit tired from my long journey from the north. Eventually we reached the secret Iroi Ice Falls beneath Mt. Nikko-Shirane.

The view from beneath falls was incredible. It was actually possible to walk beneath the giant structure, although we had to be careful not to slip on the ice. There was also a small pond beneath, which really added to the unique snowy landscape. On the way back, it started to snow a bit more, and after another hour or so of snowy boardwalk trekking we were back to the entrance, followed by the usual post-snowy hike hot spring. I then took the 2.5 hour local train back to my apartment, which felt like nothing compared to the trip to Akita.

The next day at the office my coworker asked what I did for the four day long weekend - "Battling snow demons and a journey to a mystical ice waterfall" - that was a holiday well spent.