It has been two long years since we have had summer festivals in Japan. It seems like this year, some festivals are making a come back, and I for one am very excited. I love summer festivals. The beer, the food, and of course the carrying of mikoshi (portable shrines).
So what festivals are going on this year, you might be asking. Well, I know of four that are going ahead as scheduled.
Tsukuba Festival
August 27th -28th
Update
Unfortunate news my Ibaraki people. The Tsukuba Festival has been cancelled. :(
The Tsukuba Festival is a really fun festival. It is one of the few festivals in Japan that has a mikoshi that weighs a ton and is as big as a truck. There are also a lot of different parade floats from different prefectures that join the festival.
The food stalls are fantastic as well. You have a lot of choices. You can get a Hi-5 burger, or a huge piece of Tsukuba ham. Or you can get a doner kebab from Ali's. All the other usual festival food is also available, takoyaki, fried cheese, yaki soba and more.
The festival is usually held at Tsukuba station, but this year it seems to have moved to Kenkyu Gakuen Station Park.
Sugaya Festival
August 15
Update
I am sorry to announce that this festival is postponed until next year.
From my wife's hometown in Naka city, this is a pretty interesting festival. It happens only once every three years. The residents of Sugaya create amazing parade floats and pull them around town. Everyone brings their floats in front of the local shrine and parties. They then build a gigantic fire and go nuts. It really is a site to behold.
Ishioka Festival
September 17-19
One of the biggest and most famous festivals in Kanto is the Ishioka Festival. A huge festival with a lot of interesting parade floats and a lot of Shishi Lion parade floats. Want your kid to have good luck? Make sure you get him or her near the lion for a bite on the head. If you do, he or she will have good luck for the rest of the year.
It is a spectacular festival and a lot of local restaurants open up food stalls for you to try.
Katsuta Festival
August 20-21
Update
According to my wife, the festival is still going on as planned but unfortunately, there will be no parade floats, mikoshi, or food stalls on the streets. The food stalls will be at one of the parks close by the station.
You will have a great time at the Katsuta festival. August 20th is the fireworks display. Hitachi Naka used to launch fireworks from the Self Defense Force Base, which made it easier to see from Katsuta station. But this year it seems like they will be launched from Hitachi Sea Side Park. Which is quite a hike from the station.
The 21st is all about the mikoshi and parade floats. You can walk around the streets near Katsuta station and check out all the different parade floats roaming the streets. Don't forget to try the food stalls from the restaurants on that same street. You can grab some Korean chijimi while looking at a team of guys carrying a mikoshi around town.
Those are just some of the festivals coming back this year. I can't wait to get my festival groove on, get some of that delicious matsuri food, and enjoy all the music and bon dancing. I hope you can too.
A little advice, corona isn't quite over in Japan. In fact, at the time of writing this post, there seems to be a new wave of infections hitting Tokyo and the rest of Japan. Once Tokyo numbers go up, the rest of Japan usually follows. I advise checking the festival event websites or the city websites, just in case any of these festivals are cancelled in the future.
Happy Matsuring!
Don't forget!
This weekend is the Drunken Duck's Beach party at Ajigaura Beach. Enjoy good music, drinks, and awesome beach food. The party is at Yamagataya. A beach restaurant on the sand. Hope to see you there!
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