🗺️ Anlai Festival Performance Hall

At the Anrai Festival Performing Arts Hall, you can see the "Mudfish Dance," which sparked a nationwide trend from the Taisho era to the early Showa period, every day. Organized by the Anrai Festival Preservation Society, there are four performances a day, accompanied by the sounds of shamisen and drums. Dancers, with fish baskets tied around their waists and bamboo baskets in hand, showcase a humorous and entertaining dance, serving as a lively performance at banquets. In addition to the "Mudfish Dance," there are performances featuring the "Chintaiko," an instrument that produces sound by placing coins in a bamboo tube. After the performances, audiences can change into Mudfish Dance costumes and learn the dance moves in the "Mini Experience Zone." Each performance allows for five participants to sign up, so if you have the chance, why not give it a try? The exhibition includes well-organized displays of videos introducing the history of the Anrai Festival and mechanical puppets. In the attached restaurant "Mudfish Tei," you can also enjoy Anrai's famous Mudfish Yanagawa Nabe and fried mudfish dishes. Among them, the most popular dish is the sumptuous Anrai Don, made with local ingredients such as Anrai mudfish, bamboo shoots, and Hirose miso. There are also some dishes that do not contain mudfish.

You can enjoy a close-up view of the Anlai Festival's "Loach Dance." You can also experience going on stage to perform the "Loach Men's Dance." There are restaurants where you can taste authentic loach dishes.