December 20, 2013
The nebuta float of Samukawa Temple, set up for a lighting test.
At Samukawa Temple (Miyayamai, Samukawa-Cho, Chief Priest: Tone Yasunori) the annual welcoming of the New Year with a float featuring a legend, was set up on the 20th at the shrine's gates. It's been set to light up on 12:00 AM, New Years Day.
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This year's theme is Ama No Iwato (Cave of the Sun God). Aomori prefecture's nebuta artist, Kitamura Renmei, spent three months on it's creation. During the process, he poured in his wishes for people to seek and embrace hope for Japanese economic revival during the dawning of each day, as well as to take one steady step at a time towards a happy 2014.
The nebuta is 9 meters wide, 2.6 meters tall and 1.7 meters deep. The float's 250 light bulbs giving off an eerie glow, the lighting tests are performed in the evenings. The float will remain lit at night until February 3rd of next year, welcoming visitors to the shrine.
Original text:
【動画】神話ねぶたで正月出迎え、寒川神社で試験点灯／神奈川
2013年12月20日
試験点灯された寒川神社のねぶた
寒川神社（寒川町宮山、利根康教宮司）で恒例の迎春神話ねぶたが２０日、神門に設置され、元日午前０時の点灯へ準備が整った。
【動画】
今年のテーマは「天の岩屋戸（いわと）」。青森ねぶた師の北村蓮明さんが約３カ月かけて制作。経済回復の兆しが見える日本の夜明けに希望を抱き、着実な一歩を踏み出し幸せな一年になるよう、願いが込められている。
ねぶたは幅９メートル、高さ約２．６メートル、奥行き１．７メートル。試験点灯した夕暮れ時には、約２５０個の電球が幻想的な光を放った。来年２月３日まで夜間に点灯され、参拝客らを出迎える。
