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The story
Comedian Chitoyo Koyabu set off a 5ch thread after saying of the danjiri festival — which has seen fatal and injury accidents — that “whoever’s saying to scrap it is an idiot, something’s wrong in their head.” The thread grew to over 150 replies as posters split sharply between defending a tradition that traces back to the Edo-era Genroku period and arguing that, given the deaths involved, some kind of reform or regulation is overdue. The debate ranged from personal freedom to participate, to local government permits, to comparisons with traffic deaths and other festivals — and never reached a consensus.
What people said
By that logic though, weed and meth would be fine too as long as you're only doing it to yourself.
Why'd you jump straight to illegal drugs? If anything the comparison would be booze and cigarettes.
Modern society doesn't need black magic either. A festival where people die like that isn't necessary. 99% of Japan's festivals don't kill anyone.
That's totally different lol
That's exactly why the rules keep getting tightened bit by bit — even if they're nowhere near keeping up. The problem with danjiri is that it's lawless.
Seems likely young men get frozen out if they don't join in — it's a rural area after all.
Is it really only festivals, though?
The carrying looks lame, the costumes are lame, the shouting is lame.
And shutting down the national highway for it is the worst.
You don't *carry* Nebuta floats, idiot.
'Crow from Nanbu' lol [translator's note: a local jab implying the poster is from the rival Nanbu region of Aomori, not the Nebuta-hosting area, and so has no standing to criticize it]
There's no way it could've gone that fast in an era without paved roads. Apparently it was originally pulled at a much gentler pace, and the real origin is something silly like rival local groups using the festival as an excuse to ram into each other when they crossed paths.
It's weirder how idiots always slap 'uniquely Japanese' on everything — this happens all over the world, in every era.
'Shut up if you're not involved' — sounds like something a politician would say.
Both Japanese and foreigners alike love nitpicking other countries' customs.
Even in the Osaka districts that run danjiri, most of them pull the float slowly at a walking pace.
How do you even decide whether a culture is 'outdated' or not?
Yeah, that's the balanced, realistic, grown-up take on this.
Speed needs to be strictly limited since it endangers people around you. Helmets and seatbelts only put the person themselves at risk, so do what you want there.
Background and Key Points of This Debate
Danjiri are festival floats that have been handed down since the Edo period in various regions, with those from Kishiwada and other parts of southern Osaka Prefecture especially well known — and the fatal and injury accidents during the float-hauling have repeatedly made the news. What split the thread was where to draw the line: is this a matter of personal responsibility for the participants themselves, or does it require ensuring public safety for nearby residents and bystanders too? One post claimed that hauling the floats at high speed only became common after roads were paved during Japan’s postwar high-growth era, but this circulated without a clear source, so it should be read with caution rather than taken as settled fact. No verified information was offered in the thread either way about whether participation is truly voluntary or whether money is collected under pressure.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Fair Point] Koyabu: “Whoever’s saying to scrap danjiri is an idiot, something’s wrong in their head”.”
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