M-m-m-MASK!

~While walking by the Civics Center in downtown Nagaoka, I noticed a display of strange-looking masks and other colorful items on display. Naturally, I took some pictures for everyone to look at:

^ The central display. For reference, the masks are designed to be worn, so they're a bit larger than a face.

^ A closer view of the red mask. It's actually supposed to be a lion (see below), although it looks more like a Chinese dragon to me.

^ A demonic Pinocchio! Actually, it reminds me a bit of Steve Martin from the movie "Roxanne", where he has a gigantic nose.

^ Another equally-disturbing mask. Have you ever heard the term "beak" used as a derogatory description of a large nose? Well, this mask makes that a literal reality.

^ Another display to the left of the center display. Aside from the mask, there are brightly-colored ornaments of some kind that I can't identify.

^ This item seems more whimsical than the scary masks. But just what is it? A toy?

I later asked one of the Civics Center staff members about the masks. She said that some of them were used for "shishimai", the Japanese Lion Dance. This is a traditional part of the New Year's festivities in Japan, where dancers wear masks and run around trying to "bite" children. The idea is that if a young child is bitten by the dancing lion, they will be blessed with good health for the rest of the year.

Perhaps you're wondering just what this "lion dance" looks like. Fear not, for By The Power of the Internet, I bring you a video:


^ I obviously did not make that video myself, but instead found it here. May you, too, be bitten by a lion! ~Oyasumi.