Namahage is Oga peninsula's folk event. It is designated Japan's
intangible cultural assets. On New Year's Eve, young males warring an ogre musk
and straw rain-cape visit houses and screem to scare people waving big knives
and a wooden pail. Namahage is a mysterious and distinctive custom. Namahage Museum
shows everything about this unique event. In real life Namahage happens only once
in New Years' Eve but at the pavilion it is performed seven times a day. Namahage
is often confused with the Red Ogres but the story of Red Ogres was originated
in Korean peninsula. There is Akagami-jinja Shrine in Oga city that commemorates
the five red ogres.
Namahage-kan Museum shows photographs and movies on Namahage.
You can also see the display of different Namahage for sixty different regions
in the city. You can try Namahage costume on if you are curious. In addition there
are displays of folk handcrafts such as dugout and movies for Oga sceneries.
Ogata-mura village was reclaimed from lake with the technology
imported from Holland. It attracts a great deal of attention as an agricultural
experiment. Ogata-mura Village Development Museum displays the Ogata-mura's history
and agricultural method. Also, museum sells vegetables and local delicacy/crafts.
In the Ecosystem Park a various flowers are in bloom as a result of biotechnology.
There are restaurants and hotels in the Park. Bolder Lagoon Hot Spring well up
from the bottom of Hachiro-gata. It is 5million year-old seawater.
The 130,000ha mountain country lay across Aomori and Akita is
called Shirakami-sanchi. A part of Shirakami-sanchi is designated the World Legacy.
There are two bases for Shirakami-sanchi: Nishime-mura in Aomori and Fujisato-machi
in Akita.
