DISCOVER FUKUI

The Man'yo Festival is held every year in early May in the Ajimano district of Echizen City, which is associated with the Man'yoshu anthology (万葉集, literally "Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves"), the oldest extant collection of Japanese waka (poetry in Classical Japanese), compiled sometime after AD 759 during the Nara period of Japanese history.

Highlights include the "Man'yo Love Songs Recital," where participants in Man'yo-era costumes sing freely in their own style; the "Man'yo Grand Tea Ceremony" by three schools, or streams, of Japanese tea; the "Man'yo Procession" and children's parade in Man'yo costumes; and the "Man'yo Grand Pot," a communal hot pot featuring bamboo shoots harvested in Ajimano.

Additionally, the festival features the "Man'yo Marche" market with craft and food vendors from within and outside the city, a local restaurant stall area, a stage, and a children's play area.