Yesterday night was the commencement of the Aso Shrine Lantern festival to mark the completion of the reconstruction project.
Aso Shrine had been severely damaged during the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake and took approx. 7 years to restore to its full glory.
The occasion was celebrated and marked with a beautiful lantern display that will remain until December 17th 2023.
Various local businesses and representatives whom made donations to the project had their names/business names written on the lanterns to show their support and in turn promote their local businesses.
The event started at 5pm where many attendees gathered near to the lantern structure located at the front of the shrine awaiting the lights to be turned on as night began to fall.
Speeches were given by local representatives of the Monzenmachi area to celebrate the restoration and congratulate those whom had put in great effort towards the reconstruction.
As darkness began to fall, it was soon time to switch on the lanterns and provide a warm glow to the bitterly cold winter night sky. A sign of determination, achievement and hope, the lanterns will continue to provide a great spectacle to see every night throughout the first few weeks of December.
Our Michi No Eki Aso lanterns could also be seen amongst the other local businesses.
For enduring the freezing temperatures, everyone was treated to one of the most delicious homemade Tonjiru (Pork soup) I have ever tasted. Packed with different vegetables, tender slices of pork and a delicious Miso based broth, it made the perfect remedy to the cold winter night.
If you get the chance between now and the 17th of December 2023 to visit Aso Shrine, I would highly recommend staying until night falls to view the beautiful lanterns.
Thank you very much for reading and hope to see you all soon in Aso.
Oliver
