Hidakagawa: Wasa Warai Festival and Jogging Course

Here, Hidakagawa can be explored through two very different interests: the festival tradition of the Wasa Warai Festival and exercise on a jogging course in Wasa. The festival centers on calls, a procession, and clearly defined roles; the course’s length and width give you a tangible sense of its dimensions. This lets you choose the focus of your trip: Would you like to discover a local tradition, include some exercise, or treat both as distinct experiences?

Wasa Warai Festival: Calls and Procession

At the Wasa Warai Festival, participants call out, “Laugh, laugh”; the festival is considered a symbol of the Niu Festival. The call is the immediately audible part of this tradition, while its designation as a symbol identifies its connection to the Niu Festival. The procession, too, is defined by specific roles. A bell carrier leads the way; twelve masu carriers each carry a one-sho masu to the shrine. In leap years according to the lunar calendar, there are thirteen. The items carried include, among other things, skewered citrus fruits. The calls and the procession offer different points of interest: you can pay attention to the words, the sequence of roles, and the items carried to the shrine. The number of masu carriers is tied to a specific calendar condition. For travelers interested in local customs, these details bring the festival tradition to life without reducing it to the festival’s name alone.

Jogging Course at Nanzan Sports Park

Another focus is exercise. A jogging course approximately 600 meters long and 1.8 to 2 meters wide was completed and opened at Nanzan Sports Park in Wasa in May 2024. The approximate length and width complement each other as measurements: one gives an idea of the course’s length, while the other provides additional information about the facility. This makes the course a specific point of reference for anyone looking to include exercise in their travel plans. Since surface and access conditions may change, check them before your visit. This will help you plan your activity according to the conditions in effect when you visit.

Planning a Trip Around Culture and Exercise

When searching for a vacation rental in Hidakagawa, these two topics offer different starting points for planning. If you would like to make the Wasa Warai Festival the focus of your trip, check the relevant event dates before setting your travel dates. The jogging course has a clearly specified location: Nanzan Sports Park in Wasa. If exercise is important to your trip, you can use Wasa as a reference point for further planning. This brings two different questions to the forefront: when an event takes place and where a sporting activity is located. Which aspect has a greater influence on your choice of vacation rental depends on the experiences you are looking for in Hidakagawa. If you are planning with others, it may help to first discuss the mix of culture and exercise you want.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Kamitonda, Hidaka District, Arida, Gobō, Shingū, Nishimuro District, Yuasa, Kinokawa

For the broader travel overview: Wakayama Prefecture.