(Minghui.org) Visitors to the 37th annual Sake Festival in Saijo, Higashihiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture, on October 10 and 11, 2026, had a chance to see Falun Gong practitioners play the waist drums and demonstrate the Falun Gong exercises on stage.
Saijo, Higashihiroshima City, is one of Japan’s top sake-producing areas, and this is one of the largest sake festivals in Japan. Visitors were able to sample around 800 varieties of sake from all over Japan. According to the organizer, approximately 220,000 people attended the festival.
The Sake Festival in Higashihiroshima City on October 10 and 11 (Minghui.org)
Practitioners Play the Waist Drums and Demonstrate the Exercises
Before practitioners took the stage, the moderator said, “Next performing for you: The world’s most popular Falun Gong.”
Many people in the audience recorded the practitioners as they played the waist drums and then explained and demonstrated the five exercises. The festival staff thanked them afterward.
Practitioners play the waist drums and demonstrate the exercises at the Sake Festival in Higashihiroshima City on October 11. (Minghui.org)
A practitioner introduced the waist drummers and said they ranged from elementary school students to some in their 70s. The waist drum team recently participated in parades in Osaka and Kyoto, playing the waist drums for two and a half hours nonstop during the events.
The practitioner explained that the team members improve their bodies and minds by practicing Falun Gong (also called Falun Dafa), which is a qigong practice that includes five exercises. Practitioners also abide by the standards of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.
Interested in Falun Gong
After watching the performance, Mr. Goto said, “The movements seem slow and easy to learn. I can tell that everyone diligently practices. This practice helps people stay healthy and seems great. I’m interested and would like to try it.”
Mr. Goto (Minghui.org)
“The Communist Party Is Cruel”
Mr. Umaki (Minghui.org)
When the practitioners were rehearsing in Kagamiyama Park that morning, they met Mr. Umaki. He lives nearby and sees practitioners doing the exercises there every Sunday. He liked the exercise music.
A practitioner told him about Falun Gong and that practitioners in China are persecuted and even subjected to forced organ harvesting.
Mr. Umaki found it hard to believe at first. The practitioner explained that people throughout the world condemn the persecution, and some countries have passed legislation to call for it to end.
Mr. Umaki said, “Practicing the exercises improves one’s health. In this busy era, it is great to be able to relax. The Communist Party is so cruel. China has a long history, but suddenly the Communist Party appeared and has done such unscrupulous things. Thank you all for telling me this.”
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