Hananoiwaya Shrine, which placed by Japan's longest beach in the Kumano region of Mie prefecture, is dedicated to a towering rock on that beach. The rock is 45 meters high and has been shaped over eons by wind and waves. The shrine is one of the country's oldest.
This video is the semiannual rope-changing ritual which occurs during festivals on February 2. After a dance to honor the gods, a rope extending for 170 meters is hung between a sacred pine tree and the rock.
At the end of the ritual, what is thrown all over there and participants from the locals compete with one another in collecting is the rice cake, which is Japanese traditional food, Omochi.