(まつり)

festival

(まもる)

to protect

(そと)

outside

(ちから)

strength; power

(かりる)

to borrow

(かくち)

various places, everywhere

(むかし)

long ago, past

(つづく)

to continue

(にないて)

bearer; person who carries something on

(ふそく)

shortage; insufficiency

(なやむ)

to worry, be troubled

(わかい)

young

(せだい)

generation

(とし)

city; urban area

(うつる)

to move, transfer

(ささえる)

to support

(じゅうみん)

resident

(こうれいか)

ageing (of a population)

(すすむ)

to advance, to progress

(みこし)

portable shrine carried at festivals

(かつぐ)

to carry on the shoulder

(ひと)

person / people

(あつまる)

to gather; to come together

(きぼ)

scale / magnitude

(ちいさい)

small

(かいさい)

holding (an event)

(やめる)

to stop; to quit

(ちいき)

region; area

(でる)

to come out; to occur

(そこで)

and so, therefore

(さんかしゃ)

participant, attendee

(つのる)

to recruit; to invite (applications)

(うごき)

movement; trend

(ひろがる)

to spread

(いんたーねっと)

Internet

(ぼしゅう)

recruitment, invitation to apply

(おこなう)

to carry out, to perform

(りょこう)

Travel; trip

(くわわる)

to be added

(とりくみ)

efforts, initiatives

(やど)

lodging; inn

(しょくじ)

meal

(じもと)

local / one's hometown

(りよう)

use; utilization

(まち)

town

(しゅうにゅう)

income, revenue

(つながる)

to be connected, to link up

(じゅんび)

preparation

(てじゅん)

procedure; steps

(どうが)

video; moving image

(のこす)

to leave behind, to leave uneaten

(はじめて)

for the first time

(やくわり)

role, part

(はたす)

to fulfil; to carry out

(ある)

a certain (some)

(いっぽう)

on the other hand / meanwhile

(がいぶ)

outside; external party

(たよる)

to rely on, to depend on

(いみ)

meaning

(つたわる)

to be handed down, transmitted

(しんぱい)

worry / concern

(こえ)

voice

(せんもんか)

expert, specialist

(ちゅうしん)

center; core

(こと)

thing, matter

(たいせつ)

important

(してき)

pointing out, indication

in order to ～

Expresses purpose.

from (starting point)

Indicates the origin or source. 建物の中から means 'from inside the building'.

come toward (action approaching)

Indicates motion toward the speaker or a location. Here it describes rocks flying toward people.

passive form of する-verbs

検討されています is the passive of 検討する - the proposal is being examined, with no explicit agent.

it is for / it is because

Used to give a reason or purpose. The entry ban is 'to protect the country from terrorists'.

without doing ...

Negative connective; here 'without enduring it alone, consult right away'.

doing things like ~ and ~

Lists representative actions among several. Implies there are other actions too. Used twice in this article.

is doing, has been doing (ongoing state/action)

Expresses a continuing action or resulting state. Formed with て-form + いる. Can describe an action in progress or a state resulting from a past change.

as / in the role of

Marks the role, capacity, or status in which something is treated. Used here as 特別な史跡として (as a special historic site).

have someone do (for me)

Expresses receiving a favor/action from someone.

and (non-exhaustive list)

や lists representative examples — Shikoku and Kyushu among other regions (四国や九州).

because of ~ / since ~

Plain form + ため states a cause in formal writing. 知られていないため = 'because it is not well known'.

for ~ / from the perspective of ~

Indicates a point of view or perspective. Used twice here for 'the company' and 'the Vietnamese people'.

Even ~; also at ~

Particle でも after a noun means 'even' or 'also at.' 首相官邸の庭でも means 'even at the Prime Minister's residence garden.'

to make sure that, to ensure that

Expresses the goal of bringing about a certain state or preventing something. Formed with verb plain form + ようにする. Often used to describe efforts to ensure or prevent something.

too much / excessively ~

Indicates excess. Used to describe the government's methods being too harsh (厳しすぎる) and the military deployment being excessive (やりすぎ).

called/named ~

Used to introduce or name something. In this article, 「鳥貴族」という店 means 'a store called Torikizoku'.

quotation particle と

と marks the quoted content before verbs like 言う, 答える and 話す. Both quoted remarks in this article — the survey answer and the expert's comment — are closed with 」と.

祭りを守るために外の力を借りる

Borrowing outside help to keep local festivals alive

各地で昔から続いてきた祭りが、担い手の不足に悩まされている。

Festivals that have been held across the country since long ago are struggling with a shortage of people to run them.

若い世代が都市へ移り、祭りを支えてきた住民の高齢化が進んだためだ。

This is because younger generations have moved to the cities and the residents who sustained the festivals have grown older.

神輿を担ぐ人が集まらず、規模を小さくしたり、開催をやめたりする地域も出ている。

With too few people to carry the portable shrines, some areas are scaling their festivals down or cancelling them altogether.

そこで、地域の外から参加者を募る動きが広がっている。

In response, a movement to recruit participants from outside the area is spreading.

インターネットで募集を行い、旅行として祭りに加わってもらう取り組みだ。

These are initiatives that advertise online and invite people to join the festival as a form of travel.

参加者は宿や食事を地元で利用するため、町にとっては収入にもつながる。

Because participants use local lodging and restaurants, it also brings income to the town.

準備の手順を動画で残し、初めての人でも役割を果たせるようにした地域もある。

Some areas have recorded the preparation steps on video so that even first-timers can play their part.

一方で、外部の人に頼りすぎると、祭りの意味が伝わらなくなるという心配の声もある。

On the other hand, some voice concerns that relying too heavily on outsiders will cause the meaning of the festival to be lost.

専門家は「地元の人が中心にいることが大切だ」と指摘している。

Experts point out that it is essential for local people to remain at the centre.