Historical Background

Odate Amekko-Ichi is a festival held every year on the second Saturday of February and the following Sunday, in Odate City in Akita Prefecture. 'Amekko' is a friendly, affable way of saying candy, and Ichi means 'fair' or 'fesitval', and the whole weekend is based around candy - making it, buying it, and of course, eating it!

This event originated in 1588, when it is said that a candy attached to a dogwood branch was made as an offering to a god, and to this day, a popular tradition for tourists is to buy a branch with candies attached to it as a souvenir or decoration. They can also write their wishes for the coming year on colored paper, and tie it to the potted trees that line the street. Eating candy when you visit this festival is absolutely essential - around Odate, eating sweets has been said to have the ability to drive away evil spirits.

On this day, there is a procession known as 'Shirahige Okami Junko', meaning 'Shirahige God Parade', which originates from a legend that states that Shirahige Okami comes to buy sweets from Tashirodake, the highest mountain in Odate City. It is also said that there will always be a snowstorm on this day which hides the god's footprints on his journey home.

Odate is home to Hachi, the famous Akita-Inu dog who lived in Tokyo with his owner, Professor Hidesaburō Ueno. For almost 10 years after the death of the professor, Hachi would wait at Shibuya Station for his owner to come home, until Hachi too passed away in 1935. To this day, Hachi is well-known around the world for his love and loyalty, and many tourists visit Odate for this very reason. As well as the Akita-Inu dog procession during Amekko-Ichi, the Akita Dog Visitor Centre and the Akita Dog museum are popular places to visit to learn more about the affectionate and beloved Akita-Inus. 

Characteristics

This brightly-colored winter event, held on Omachi Hachiko-dori Street, is based around candy, and here you can find various stalls where delicious, hand-made sweets are made. It is a tradition to eat candy on this day, hence the famous saying “you will not catch a cold for a year if you eat candy today.”

Despite the icy and snowy weather typical for Odate at this time of year, still hundreds of thousands of tourists come from all over Japan and overseas to celebrate this festival. Visitors can enjoy freshly-made street food and candies from dozens of stalls, while observing the processions and performances that take place up and down the street. The Shishimai performance, Karami-ame service, a taiko performance, and the Shirahige Okami procession are some of the main events, but perhaps the favorite part of the celebration for thousands is the Loyal Dog Hachiko Parade. Akita-Inu dog owners from across Akita Prefecture come together and parade their beautiful dogs along the street to be admired and sometimes even petted.

Odate Amekko-Ichi is definitely a festival to visit; even through the wintery weather, the bright colors along the street and the beaming smiles on visitors' faces while enjoying their candy makes this festival very special. There is something for everyone, whether you have a sweet tooth or prefer savory snacks, or if you're only visiting to meet an Akita-Inu! 

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