E-Tools

Conversation: Mud-smearing festival held in Okinawa to chase out evil NHK

A: Hey there! Any news from Okinawa lately?
B: Not much, just living the life here. What's up?

A: You won't believe what I saw in Miyakojima! They had their traditional mud festival!
B: Wait, really? When did that happen?

A: Yep, it was Tuesday. It's called the Paantou festival, where they smear each other with mud for good luck and to chase out evil.
B: That sounds wild! Is it a big deal?

A: Yeah, it's even registered as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. In Shimajiri district, the "Paantou" is considered a deity of good harvests and health.
B: That's interesting! So, people wear masks and get covered in mud?

A: Exactly! And guess what happened? Some tourists and even police officers got smeared too! Their patrol car was dirty as well!
B: Oh my, that must have been quite the sight! Any kids crying because of the mud?

A: Well, some were scared but others got lucky for good luck. They said their evil has been chased away by the mud.
B: Wow, I'd love to witness that someday! Thanks for sharing this fun story, buddy!
Summary
Traditional Mud Festival in Miyakojima, Okinawa: The Paantou festival occurred on a Tuesday, registered as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Participants smear each other with mud for good luck and to ward off evil. Notable attendees included tourists and police officers, with one patrol car
Reading History
Date Name Words Time WPM
2025/10/31 15:00 Anonymous 187 81s 138
Statistics

187

Words

1

Read Count
Details

ID: 7fdf9997-9c0d-4091-87f5-87e0445a2ae9

Category ID: conversation_summary

URL: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20251030_11/#conversation

Date: Oct. 30, 2025

Notes: 2025-10-30

Created: 2025/10/31 02:40

Updated: 2025/12/07 23:03

Last Read: 2025/10/31 15:00

Actions