On January 19, 2024, the traditional event ''Jazuna'', in which people carry large snakes woven from straw and parade through villages, was held in the Imafuku area of Miyazu City, Kyoto Prefecture. Now that the coronavirus pandemic has subsided, he visited each house for the first time in four years, asking residents to bite their heads and praying for a year of good health.
It is said that the snake rope was started in the late Edo period to quell the epidemic that was prevalent at the time. Currently, events are being held mainly by the Fukujukai, which is made up of local elderly people.
Amidst the sound of conch shells, five people carried a 6-meter rope and visited about 30 houses over an hour.
Forty-three first-year students from Miyazu Elementary School, who came to learn about local events, also participated, holding ropes and having their heads bitten. A 7-year-old boy from Miyazu Elementary School smiled and said, ''I want to stay healthy this year as well.''
