From April 2 to April 3, 1999. Hinaichi, doll market festival. Kohokucho, Yamagata, Prefecture. In my hometown of Kohokucho, there is a street called "Hinaichi dori" which was chosen as one of Japan's 100 famous streets. Every year, on April 2 and April 3, the Hinaichi Matsuri or doll market festival is held. The festival has a history of over 400 years. Due to the influence of the Kyoto culture imported by the safflower merchants during the middle of the Edo period, many historical dolls like the Kyoho-bina, still remain in the ancient families. These dolls are open to the public only during the festival.

	Though recently, the street is full of outdoor stalls during the festival , the street used to be lined with actual stores selling Hina dolls.		An ancient family's house is open to the public. Many tourists from outside Yamagata Prefecture visit and enjoy looking into the old homes and its historical dolls.
	Photography is seldom permitted as the camera's flash can peel the gold leaf off of the dolls. I photographed the crowds from outside the house.		As I was visiting the ancient family's houses, I spotted one which did not have a "Do Not Photograph" sign so I took a picture in a hurry. They were rather small Hina dolls. Each doll was about 60 centimeters high but there was one doll that reached all the way up to the ceiling of the old house. The visitors crowding in from behind jarred the camera and I missed it in the frame.