About

Hello! I’m Joy from the Philippines, a graduate student at Kyoto University. I am currently an intern in Suzu City.

This website was created to document the Kiriko Festivals in Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.

I started this blog because I am interested in festival culture and how festivals uplift communities, especially after the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake.

As part of my research, I also hope to explore the connection between Kiriko Festivals and the region’s natural resources, particularly the use of the Ate tree (Thujopsis dolabrata var. hondae), also known as Noto Hiba, in festival traditions.

To help with the consolidation and organization of my research, this website is created. I hope this blog can serve as a small record of Noto’s rich festival culture and the communities that continue to preserve it.