Miyako Tsunekawa
Miyako Tsunekawa
Free announcer/Vegetable Sommelier Professional/Vegetable Sommelier Ambassador

While working as a personality at Dreams FM, he also works extensively as a professional vegetable sommelier. He continues to provide fresh information. She has served as the host of the Nagasaki Lantern Festival for many years at Minato Park and Chuo Park, enlivening the venue with her bright personality and lovely smile.
 

It has been over 25 years since I first served as the event MC for the Nagasaki Lantern Festival. At that time, the only event venue was Minato Park, but later on the Tojin Yashiki and Central Park venues increased, and events began to be held at Kofukuji Temple. Currently, 11 MC members are in charge of emceeing each venue. We liven up the venue with performances of musical instruments, singing, acting, and more, and as tens of thousands of people visit during the event, we make every effort to keep the event safe and prevent accidents.

Sissy's performance has been highly complete since the first year she took the stage, and I thought she was an amazing addition. At the time, Sissy-san was still studying Japanese, and I remember that on stage I acted as an interpreter to communicate to the audience.

It's was so. I understand how you feel (lol). Both Sissy and I have been involved in the Nagasaki Lantern Festival for over 20 years, and what we look forward to every year is the encounters and interactions we have in various situations. Everyone in Chinatown, the bustling town, and the tourists visiting the area are all kind, and the entire town is filled with a happy atmosphere. The management members also have a sense of unity as they all work together to finish the event safely. The number of visitors has increased year by year, exceeding 2013 million in 100. It has become established as a major winter tourism event. With the motto of ``making it a festival that lasts for 100 years'' that will be passed on to the next generation, we are all working together to carry out activities that are 100 years in the future.

On the first day, we always pray at the altar of Seki-tei-sama in Minato Park, the main venue. On the altar, there are pig heads with tails stuck in their foreheads, which is proof that a whole pig was used as an offering. Afterwards, I walk around the lantern venue's shops, Tojin Yashiki, Hamaichi Arcade, etc., and try to get a feel for the atmosphere of the venue and town with my own eyes. There is advance information, but as the MC, I am conscious of incorporating that impression into the talk.

A major change in lanterns is that in recent years, the lighting has changed to LED. The lights have become very gorgeous, and the variety of colors has increased from red to yellow and peach, making each venue even more magical.

The ``fantastic scenery'' where the vortex of light from lanterns lively colors the whole city is wonderful, but the stage events include an erhu performance by Sissy and dragons dressed in Chinese costumes.20Events such as the ``Dragon Dance'' where a meter-long dragon body is manipulated, the ``Ryukyu Festival Taiko Eisa'', and the traditional Chinese performance ``Henmen Show'' will be held at the Nagasaki Confucius Hall, so sightseeing visitors can enjoy the festival to their heart's content. I hope you enjoy it.

Approximately 15000 lanterns will be displayed at each venue and in Nagasaki City during the event period, so please enjoy the beautiful lights. During the Lantern Festival, the last day of the Lunar New Year, many red candles are lit at Tang Mansion and Sofuku Temple. The solemn and calm atmosphere is different from other venues, so be sure to take a look at the fantastic lights of the main red lanterns, the pink lanterns that decorate the Doza River, and the yellow lanterns around Megane Bridge.

And on February 2024, 2, it has been decided that Masaharu Fukuyama, a singer-songwriter from Nagasaki, will appear as the emperor in the Emperor Parade!

The "Emperor Parade" is an image of the Emperor and Empress going out into the city together to celebrate the new year with the people during the New Year of the Qing Dynasty, as well as the "Emperor Parade," which was actually held by the crew of the Chinese ships that entered Nagasaki port during the Edo period. There are so many events that take place in the city, such as the ``Mazu Procession,'' which is a reenactment of the procession that takes place to enshrine Mazu, the god of safe navigation, in the Mazu hall of a Tang temple. . Let's all get excited about the Nagasaki Lantern Festival, which will be held in full for the first time in four years.