U.S. Soldiers at Shariki bond with Japanese neighbors at traditional festival

TSUGARU, Japan - An annual festival held here that marks the end of the summer season in Japan included participation from U.S. Soldiers stationed at a nearby installation who took part in the festivities.

Soldiers assigned to the 10th Missile Defense Battery at the Shariki Communications Site in Aomori participated in Tsugaru's Umaichi Matsuri, or Horse Market Festival, held there in late August. As part of the celebration, they marched in a parade alongside a horse-shaped float, sharing in the tradition and community spirit with their Japanese neighbors.

The festival originated in the early 1900s, when the area was crowded with farm horse auctions. As agriculture became more mechanized, the necessity for the auctions declined over time. Around the mid-1970s, the festival evolved into a celebration of the city's traditions and gratitude toward the horses that were vital to the early days of farming.

Approximately 1,800 participants, including the 10th MDB Soldiers, Japan Air Self-Defense Force members and Tsugaru residents participated in the festival. Some dressed in costumes as they pulled the ornate horse floats through the city streets. Many in the crowd gave enthusiastic cheers as the vibrant and celebratory parade passed by.

Sgt. 1st Class Randy Bergman, assigned to the 10th MDB, was one of about a dozen Soldiers from his unit who participated in the festival and pushed their float along the parade with help from their JASDF partners.

Bergman said he and the Soldiers enjoying seeing the crowd waving and smiling at them, taking it as a sign that people were enjoying themselves.

"I think it's going really well," Bergman said during the parade. "We love experiencing the culture [of Japan, and seeing] the differences between our two cultures. It's just great fun and a great experience for everybody."

Bergman said he and the 10th MDB Soldiers try to participate in and support local events as often as they can. It is important not only to their mission to be good stewards of the U.S. military in Japan, he said, but also to enhance their partnership with the JASDF as well as their relationship with their local community.

Tsugaru Mayor Hiroaki Kuramitsu said he welcomes the U.S. military's participation in the city's festivities throughout the year and that it is a great joy to be able to celebrate together.

While Tsugaru citizens are aware of the U.S. military base in their community, Kuramitsu said, the Umaichi Festival provides a unique opportunity to interact directly with the Soldiers, which in turn promotes an understanding of each other's cultures and helps everyone bond as a community.

"It is important to remember that the Soldiers stationed here are human beings, just like us," Kuramitsu said. "We all share this planet, and I believe that through events like this, we can overcome any differences we may perceive and view the U.S. military as being part of the Tsugaru community."

Capt. Henry Etchberger, commander of the 10th MDB, said he and his Soldiers had a great time at the festival, and likewise said the Tsugaru residents seemed to be enjoying themselves.

"We're very lucky and very privileged to be here," Etchberger said. "I want [the Soldiers] to be enthusiastic about embracing Japanese culture. We need to demonstrate that we have a very strong relationship with both our community and our bilateral counterparts."

As the sun set, the festival culminated with the Shinden Fire Festival, in which the horse floats were set ablaze as a symbolic ritual to send the horses' spirits to heaven.

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