Fireworks, Floats, and Lucky Rakes: These Kanto Autumn Festivals are Fun!
Japanese festivals allow you to experience the history and culture of Japan. Here are three events in the Kanto area, along with information about nearby spots you should visit before and after the festival. Each festival can get packed, so it's important to know how to access the festival and what to eat in advance. Also, trains and buses may be so crowded on the way back that you may not be able to board right away. We recommend checking the timetable before you go and leaving before everybody else does.
(1) Watch the best Japanese fireworks craftsmen in action at the Tsuchiura All Japan Fireworks Competition (Ibaraki Prefecture)
Tsuchiura All Japan Fireworks Competition is one of the biggest fireworks festivals in Japan. There are three categories: starmines (rapid fireworks), size-10 fireworks, and creative fireworks. About 20,000 fireworks are launched during the event held every November.
Part of the venue has some paid bleachers (box seats require advance reservation) but you can also watch the event from free-viewing zones. We recommended viewing fireworks from the bank along Sakura River. Before heading to the venue, be sure to bring rain gear, a leisure sheet, and a trash bag.
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Name: Tsuchiura All Japan Fireworks Competition Website: TSUCHIURA ALL JAPAN FIREWORKS COMPETITION (official) |
Extra tips for a spectacular view at the Kasumigaura Cruise
Before watching the fireworks, we recommend taking a pleasure cruise at Kasumigaura, which is the second largest lake in Japan. You can see the Nikko mountain range including Mt. Nantai, Mt. Kaba, Abukuma Highlands, and Mt. Fuji. If you are lucky enough (and travel between October and April), you might even witness flocks of seagulls following your boat. The 30-40-minute cruise runs all year round from Tsuchiura Port.
(2) Have a piece of culture through colorful lucky rakes on sale at the bustling market Asakusa Tori-no- Ichi (Tokyo)
Celebrated in shrines and temples in Japan, Tori-no-Ichi is a chance for revelers to wish for good health and a prosperous business. Of all the places that mark this annual event, it’s the one in Asakusa that is the largest and liveliest in Tokyo.
Asakusa Tori-no-Ichi Fair is held annually on three separate days in November (or rooster days, as they’re called), from 12 a.m to 12 p.m. at Asakusa Otori Temple / Washizaiyama Chokokuji and Tori-no-Ichi Shrine. Colorful kumade (lucky rakes) are sold at hundreds of stalls. Resembling a bear’s paw, hence its name, a kumade is a lucky charm said to bring good fortune, prosperous business, and family safety. When the sale of the lucky rake is completed, the seller and the buyer finalize a deal with sanbon-jime (hand-clapping), and the chants "Iyoooooh!" and "Sore, sore, hanjo, hanjo, hanjo!"
The jam-packed market filled with merchants praying for good business and family safety will make you feel the festive atmosphere of the coming new year. It is recommended to hang your rake at the entrance of your home, and if you hang it high enough, it can easily draw in fortune!
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Extra tips when shopping at Ameyoko
Ameyayokocho (or Ameyoko for short) is a large shopping street that stretches around the west side of the elevated rail tracks of the Yamanote Line between Okachimachi Station and Ueno Station, and about 500 to 600 meters under the elevated rail tracks. There are about 400 shops where you can purchase anything from clothing to local cuisine such as seafood, menchikatsu (ground meat cutlet) as well as Japanese confectionery that is highly recommended as souvenirs. Many tourists like to shop here, so it’s always bustling with people!
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(3) Experience a festive atmosphere at the floats parade Kawagoe Festival (Saitama Prefecture)
The Kawagoe Festival is noted for its elaborately constructed and decorated floats, each topped with a doll. The floats are paraded around the city, and when one float meets another at an intersection, the musical battle known as Hikkawase begins. Each float performs the traditional Japanese orchestra “Hayashi '' with loud music, no doubt a highlight of the evening. For a good view of this spectacle, stay at the side road between the Nakamachi and Fudanotsuji intersections.
Kawagoe Festival was registered in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2016.
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Extra tips when strolling around the city of Kawagoe in a kimono
Kawagoe is a spot where the atmosphere of Little Edo can be felt with its brewery townscape still remaining. After enjoying the festival, why not rent a kimono and go for a stroll?
