Dad's Reminiscences - Episode 72: 'Omiwatari Viewing Ceremony'

Every year during the height of winter, the topic of conversation in the Suwa region is Lake Suwa's Omiwatari. This year, too, Chief Priest Miyasaka of Yatsurugi Shrine (Suwa City), which oversees the Omiwatari rituals, and the representatives of the parishioners continue to monitor Lake Suwa every morning.

Perhaps due to the warm winter, in recent years we have barely even seen the complete freezing of Lake Suwa, which is a prerequisite for the Omiwatari. On the other hand, media coverage has become increasingly heated, to the point where it is now national news.

More than a decade ago, when I worked for a newspaper, I also covered the monitoring of the Omiwatari for several years. At that time, there were only the chief priest, the representatives of the parishioners, and the local media, making it a quiet affair with only about 10 participants.

I was in charge of the coverage for four years, but the first three years were 'Ake no Umi' (the sea of dawn, meaning the lake did not freeze over). There were days when it would freeze completely, but that state wouldn't last long, the ice would eventually disappear, and the 'Ake no Umi' would be declared at the beginning of spring... that was the pattern.

And then, the fourth year. The Omiwatari finally appeared!

At that time, it was only a few days from the complete freezing of the lake to the appearance of cracks on the ice, which are the signs of the Omiwatari, and then the appearance of the Omiwatari itself. The date for the viewing ceremony was set, and the shrine officials prepared themselves through purification to welcome that day.

On the day of the Omiwatari viewing ceremony, TV stations and major newspapers joined in, and a large crowd of spectators gathered on the lakeshore. Among them, they toured the three lines (cracks) of the Omiwatari in order, and Chief Priest Miyasaka performed a purification ritual while the parishioner representatives and those involved bowed their heads.

I can talk about this now, but as a member of the press, I was allowed to step onto the ice. Every time the ice creaked with a 'creak, creak' sound, I broke into a cold sweat, worried that it might break.

Of course, there were no accidents where the ice broke during the viewing ceremony, and when all the rituals were completed safely, smiles naturally appeared on the faces of the shrine officials. It is a moment when everyone is immersed in the joy of thinking, 'This will be a good year.'

The last time such an Omiwatari viewing ceremony was held was in 2018. It seems that only a very limited number of people were able to go onto the ice at that time, but it appears that many tourists flocked to the lakeshore every day.

Unfortunately, since then, Lake Suwa has continued to be an 'Ake no Umi.' This season, too, there is no sign of Lake Suwa freezing over completely as of now. However, the monitoring by those involved continues every morning, and many media outlets are covering it every day.

With the strongest cold wave of the season arriving next week, which marks the beginning of spring, those involved are said to be pinning their last hopes on a complete freeze. Come to think of it, I also covered the viewing ceremony after the beginning of spring in February.

Omiwatari... I would love to see it again after six years.

※The image in this column is of the 2012 Omiwatari.

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