Dance, live music, sauna, market, library that is free for everyone! We also have a sleepover festival with your dog! The Nordic summer solstice festival is coming (2024nd part of “metsä's summer solstice festival 2” information release)

Metsä Village (Hanno City, Saitama Prefecture), one of Japan's largest Scandinavian lifestyle experience facilities, will hold the Metsä Summer Solstice Festival 2024, which is based on the Nordic traditional summer festival, the Midsummer Festival, and will be held in various countries, including the Baltic countries. The event will be held from Saturday, May 8, 2024 to Sunday, June 5, 25, with special cooperation and support from the embassies of eight Scandinavian countries and the National Tourism Organization.
In the second part of the press release, we will focus on free events where anyone can easily experience the summer solstice, such as traditional dances, performances of ethnic instruments, an outdoor market selling Scandinavian goods, and saunas. For the first time, we will be holding an event where you can enjoy a sleepover in your car with your dog!

<First information release content announcement! ＞
□ Wear your own flower crown and casually experience Scandinavian midsummer dance
□ Live performance of ethnic instruments! Enjoy the sounds of Finland/kantele and Scotland/bagpipes
□ “Lakeside Scandinavian Market” which collects only good things related to Scandinavia
□ Refresh yourself with the traditional summer solstice event "sauna", lakeside yoga, and Nordic walking
□ “Midsummer Library” is a select library with books about eight Scandinavian countries.
□ First event in Kanto! “VAN WAN LIFE” is an event where you can enjoy a night in the car with your dog.
*Click here for the first information release:http://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000317.000020740.html

 

□Wear your own flower crown and casually experience Scandinavian midsummer dance
A unique style of dancing around a maypole from Åland, an island located between Sweden and Finland. After the demonstration, let's join together!
■Date and time: *Each session approximately 30 minutes
１．フィンランドダンス（出演：Usva※1）5月25日（土） ①14:00～②16:00～、6月23日（日） ①13:00～②15:00～
2. Swedish Dance (Performer: Musikaterna *6) June 9th (Sun) and 22nd (Sat) ① 14:00 ~ ② 16:00 ~
■Location: metsä Aukio ■Participation fee: Free *Cancelled in case of rain

 

□ Live performances of world music and ethnic instruments! Enjoy the sounds of kantele and bagpipes
Live folk music to celebrate the arrival of summer that will make everyone from children to adults want to dance. There is also a hands-on workshop on the kantele, a folk instrument that appears in the Finnish folk epic "Kalevala." *All participation is free of charge
[Saturday, June 6st]
14:00 - Band performance (KKB Kokikoureisha Band *3 World Song Journey)
16:00 - Bagpipe performance (Rockwell Pipers*4)
■Location: metsä Aukio *About 30 minutes *Cancelled in case of rain

[Sunday, June 23rd]
13:30~/15:30~ Kantele performance (Masako Hazata*5)
　　■Location: Nordic Square *Approximately 30 minutes each time *Cancelled in case of rain
14:00~/16:00~ Kantele Workshop (Kaori Mori and Sylvain Kantele Group*6)
　　■Location: Craft Bibliotech *Each session approximately 50 minutes
　　■Capacity: Approximately 5 to 6 people (Registration starts 30 minutes before each session)

 

□"Nordic Market by the Lake", a collection of only good things related to Northern Europe
An outdoor market where you can enjoy the summer Nordic atmosphere and once-in-a-lifetime encounters. More than 20 stores gather from famous Scandinavian brands to miscellaneous goods, crafts, vintage, food, and more!
■Date: Saturday, June 2024, 6, Sunday, June 22, 23
■ Time: 10: 00-17: 00
■Location: metsä Aukio, Nordic Square *Cancelled in case of rain
<Store PICK UP>

(Sellers: from left: LAAVU, kirpputori, LUHTA)

(Storers: From left: NORDY'S, Café Sukur, friluftsliv)

 

□Feel refreshed with traditional summer solstice events: sauna, lakeside yoga, and Nordic walking
Why not refresh your mind and body by moving your body to your heart's content in a space surrounded by forests and lakes? Sauna, which is essential for the Nordic summer solstice, is also available!
[Saturday, May 5th, Saturday, June 25nd, Midsummer Sauna]
A sauna that fuses the cultures of both countries, incorporating the essence of Japanese tea rooms and inheriting the spirituality of Finnish nature worship. Welcome with the aroma of white birch and the scent of a wood stove.
■ Time: 11: 00-16: 00
■Location: Nordic Square *Conducted on rainy days
■ Participation fee: Free
■Management: nata studio
*Please use it after wearing a T-shirt.It is not possible to use the facility in the nude or in the upper half of the body only.

[May 5th (Sunday) Lakeside Yoga]
It's a relaxing yoga that requires less exercise, so beginners and casual wear are welcome to participate. You can also enjoy a healthy lunch rich in protein, minerals, and vitamins that will be good for your body after a workout.
■ Time: 10: 15-11: 00
■Location: Nordic Square *Cancelled in case of rain
■Participation fee: Yoga 2,000 yen (tax included) Yoga + Lunch 4,500 yen (tax included)
■Instructor: Marumomaro
■Application:https://metsa-hanno.com/event/30583/?metsa

[Saturday June 6st Nordic Walking]
Nordic walking, which originated in Finland, involves walking through the lush nature of Metsä.
■ Time: 11: 00-12: 30
■Location: Inside Metsä Village *Cancelled in case of rain
■Participation fee: 1,000 yen (tax included) (+500 yen for pole rental)
■Instructor: Japan Nordic Walking Association
■Application:https://metsa-hanno.com/event/8092/?metsa

 

□Midsummer Library, a select library with books about eight Scandinavian countries
A special project with Hanno City Library*7. Approximately 8 books will be sent to "Craft Bibliotech" from the Hanno City Library and Children's Library, including books related to eight Scandinavian countries selected by professional book librarians, and books donated by the Embassy of Finland in 2015. . Why not deepen your knowledge about Scandinavia at ``Bibliotech'', which means ``library'' in Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian.
■Date: May 5th (Sat) - June 25rd (Sun)
■Time: Weekdays 10:00-18:00, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays 10:00-19:00
■Location: Craft Bibliotech *No lending will be carried out. Please pick it up and take a look on the spot.
■ Participation fee: Free
■Cooperation: Hanno City Library

 

□First time in Kanto! “VAN WAN LIFE” is an event where you can enjoy a night in the car with your dog.
“VAN WAN LIFE” is a coined word that represents VAN LIFE with your dog. A very popular event where you can enjoy sleeping in the car and going to the market with your dog has left its home base of Gifu Prefecture and is being held in the Kanto region for the first time! Lots of content including “VAN WAN LIFE” vehicle exhibitions, workshops, photo booths, and more!
■Date and time: June 6st (Sat) and 1nd (Sun) 2:10-00:15
■Location: metsä RV Park *During light rain, canceled due to stormy weather
■Participation fee: <Day trip> Free <Sleeping in car> 1 yen per night per car (tax included)
■Application:https://forms.gle/3BsvNzFFffQW5UqN7

 

"Metsä's Summer Solstice Festival 2024"
A summer festival that brings together the best of Scandinavian traditions, including crawfish parties and bonfires.
■Date and time: May 2024, 5 (Sat) - June 25, 6 (Sun) Free admission
■ Details:https://metsa-hanno.com/lp/midsummer2024/
■Co-sponsor: Hanno City Finland Association
■Sponsored by: Embassy of Iceland, Embassy of Estonia, Estonian Tourism Board, Embassy of Sweden, Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark, Embassy of Norway, Embassy of Finland, Embassy of Latvia, Latvian Investment Development Agency, Embassy of Lithuania, Lithuanian Tourism Board , Hanno City International Exchange Association
■ Cooperation: Hanno City Library, KADOKAWA Co., Ltd.

<About Usva*1>
A group formed by volunteers who have experience dancing folk dances from around the world and who want to dance Finland. Representative Sara Ketonen is from Turku, Finland. From 1996 to 2012 in Finland she belonged to the folk dance group Virsut and participated in many national and international dance festivals and demonstrations every year.

<About Musikanterna*2>
It was started with the desire to create a place where musicians interested in Nordic music and dancers who are obsessed with the charm of Swedish dance can interact freely, not for profit.You can enjoy Swedish folk dance and Swedish traditional instrument Nyckelharpa performance together.

<About KKB Kouki Koreisha Band *3>
Before they knew it, the band started by two senior citizens became popular as the KKB Kokikoreisha Band, performing ``World Song Journey'' at live shows all over the place. A variety of songs such as Cielitorindo (Mexico), Or Sole Mio (Italy), Drinker's Song (Sweden), and Yellow Bird (USA). The members are ET Seiichiro Otsuka (guitar and vocals, former diplomat), Reiko Margarita Tajima (soprano), Miki Yoshida Mickey (wood bass), Yoichi Akki Aki (cello), and Futon Erikukura (guitar).

<About Rockwell Vipers*4>
The Rockwell Vipers and their friends are fascinated by the sounds of Scotland and prefer bagpipes to three meals a day. While correctly following the performance methods passed down from our predecessors, we work loosely, sometimes strictly, and while having fun.

<About Masako Hazata*5>
A leading Japanese kantele performer who introduced the Finnish folk instrument "kantele" to Japan and is actively performing. His playing, which he learned at Finland's top music conservatory, Sibelius Academy, is elegant and delicate. In 1991, he performed kantele for the Pope at Easter. He plays a wide range of songs, including traditional Finnish folk music, classical music, and original songs, with beautiful kantele tones.

<About Kaori Mori and Sylvain Cantele Group *6>
Because Finland and Hanno are friendly cities, they practice and perform on a kantele made from Hanno's Nishikawa cypress, commissioned by a professional woodworker, and are soothed by the beautiful tones. Would you like to join Sylvain Cantele?

<About Hanno City Library *7>
The library has a woody scent, using Nishikawa lumber produced in Hanno for the pillars, ceiling, and walls. The ceiling is high and the walls are made of glass, creating an open and comfortable space. In addition to reading seats, there are study seats, study seats for working adults, reading seats for working adults, and other seats to suit your needs, so you can spend your time comfortably. "Hanno City Children's Library" is a library built for children. The building is built in the style of a log house, and the interior, where you have to take off your shoes, has a relaxing atmosphere that makes you feel like you're relaxing at home. It can be used safely even with small children.