(Warning: This article contains references to suicide.)
A DJ event for parents and children will be held on August 29 on the grounds of Okuda Shrine in Toyama City, giving visitors a chance to try their hand behind the turntables. Now in its third year, the event is called Shrine de Disco.
The event was organized by Kei Ninomiya, the shrine’s chief priest, who also serves as a volunteer probation officer, together with a husband-and-wife DJ duo active in the prefecture.
Ninomiya said his hope is that “through this event, children will build connections with other people.”
A Noble Cause
The idea grew out of concern over child suicide numbers, which have remained high since the COVID-19 pandemic. Believing that a sense of isolation among children was part of the problem, Ninomiya conceived the event to “help children regain a sense of social connection through music.”
He approached DJ Tatezuka 2000 and Nagisa Tatezuka, both of whom he had been introduced to through a mutual acquaintance.
When the event was first held in August 2024, some people reacted with surprise, asking, “A disco at a shrine?” But children and adults alike soon began dancing naturally. The response was strong enough that many asked for the event to be held again, and it has been held since.
“When children are full of energy, the gods are happy too,” Ninomiya said. “I hope people dance at the shrine and come away feeling refreshed.”
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(Read the article in Japanese.)
Author: The Sankei Shimbun
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