Otaya (Higashi Honganji Temple Arai Betsuin memorial service)

This ceremony, known locally as the Otaya, is the largest Buddhist memorial service in the Joetsu area, and remembers the monk Shinran, his wife Eshin'-ni, and the founder of the Higashi Honganji Temple Arai Betsuin. Over 100 stalls are set up side by side at the temple, and each year great throngs of people come to enjoy the event. The Hokkoku Kaido Arai Jidai Festival is held on the last day, and during the festival traditional dances and sword dances are held, as well as a parade of over 100 persons dressed in traditional, handmade armor marking along the Hokkoku Kaido highway.