Kamakura Snow Huts Light up at Traditional Akita Prefecture Event; Tourists Gather at Yokote Castle for Beautiful Sights

People sit inside kamakura snow huts during a traditional event in Yokote, Akita Prefecture, which started Saturday. At sunset, about 60 kamakura, each about three meters high, were illuminated to create fantastic scenery across the city. This tradition is said to have about 450 years of history, with a Shinto altar built inside each snow hut to worship a god of water and pray for a good harvest. Local children invited tourists to come in and offered amazake, a traditional drink made from fermented rice, at Yokote Park with Yokote Castle shining in the background.