The Burning of Mount Wakakusa.

This past Saturday, January 24, 2026, the city of Nara held its spectacular annual Wakakusa Yamayaki festival. If you haven't seen the photos yet, it is one of the most visually stunning events in the Japanese calendar. After a massive fireworks display, the dead grass on the slopes of the 342-meter high Mount Wakakusa is set ablaze. The entire mountain appears to glow orange against the night sky. While the festival is famous, its actual origin is still debated—some say it started as a boundary dispute between temples in 1760, while others believe it was originally done to drive away wild boars or ghosts. Today, it serves as a symbolic cleansing to welcome the spring.

©YovaniBernard.