Bamba Dance is a folk dance performed every August during the Matsuri-Nobeoka (Nobeoka Festival) in Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture.

Matsuri-Nobeoka is the largest summer festival in northern Miyazaki. In the Bamba-Sou-Odori (Whole Bamba Dance), more than 5,000 townspeople dance in a huge circle. The festivities also include a display of some 10,000 fireworks. This festival lasts for two exciting days.

The Bamba Dance is accompanied by narrative songs known as Kudokiuta, which feature long lyrics. The Bamba Dance seems to be a derivation of Bon festival dances held in each region of Nobeoka.

The lyrics of the songs for the Bamba Dance include many phrases from Kabuki and Joruri, which were very popular in the late Edo period. Therefore, the Bamba Dance is considered to have been popular in the late Edo period.

Indeed, the Bamba Dance has been enjoyed by people for a very long time.

Isao Onishi was born on June 30, 1944. In 2002, his original skill, Kyu-shitsu or lacquer craft technique, was designated as an important intangible cultural heritage.

After learning the basics of carving, from 1974, Onishi was apprenticed to Akaji Yusai and learned the rudimentary skills of lacquer coloring as well as 'magewatsukuri'. Magewatsukuri, or the bentwood technique, involves the bending of the wood into rings which become part of the body of each piece.

Onishi does all parts of the process by hand: from coating to construction. His much-praised works have won several prizes, such as the 40th Ministry of Education Prize at the Japanese Traditional Craft Exhibition, and 15th Director General of the Agency for Cultural Affairs Prize for Japanese lacquer tradition.

In addition, Onishi is focusing on the preservation of the tradition and, for many years, has been working at Ishikawa Prefecture's Wajima Lacquer Technical Training Institute as a lecturer.

Mt Kurobegoro (2840m) is in the Hida Mountain Range and is one of Japan's 100 major mountains. It is for intermediate hikers and many hikers visit it throughout the year. The most popular hiking course is the north-south course which takes four days and covers Yakushi, Kurobegoro, Sugoroku mountains and Kamikochi.

Mt Kurobegoro features a large cirque on its north side, which begins beyond the smooth ridge line at Mt Yakushi in the Tateyama Mountain Range, extends along Tarobe plateau and ends at Mt Kitanomata. This cirque, or 'kar', appears as if the mountain side had been scooped away, but was actually eroded by a gracier.

If you are at the bottom of the cirque, the extraordinary atmosphere of the place will make you draw breath. You cannot help but be moved by the natural beauty of the site with its traces of snow, abundant water and alpine flora.