Information for the annual Konosu Summer Festival, which was cancelled three years in a row due to the pandemic. Konosu City have scheduled it for 2023 for the first time in four years.
Konosu Summer Festival
A festival with more than a hundred years of history on one of Japan’s most famous trails – the Nakasendo. On the main day of the festival, they carry twelve “mikoshi”, which are a palanquin or portable shrine, three kilometers down a pedestrianized area near Konosu station. There is a children’s mikoshi event too. The festival draws thousands of spectators annually.
The featured image at the top of the post from the Konosu Tourism Website.
The Konosu Summer festival runs for three days annually in early to mid July. In previous years it usually fell on the bank holiday weekend, but in 2023 it is on the second weekend of July. Thus the last day of the festival, the Monday falls on a regular working day.
The main day of the festival is the Sunday. In 2023, that is the 9th of July. On the Sunday, the festival usually starts around 2.30 pm, with the mikoshi carrying commencing shortly after. In addition, the festival generally runs until about 9 pm. (There are other smaller events the previous and following day).
Information
Event: Konosu Summer Festival, 鴻巣夏祭り
Dates: Saturday July 8th to Monday July 10th 2023
Time: from 2.30 pm to 9 pm. On Sunday the 9th they parade the mikoshi from around 3 pm.
Cost: free
Venue: A three kilometer stretch of the Nakasendo, near Konosu station, from the Ningyo area to the Kami area. I have pinpointed Ko Shrine, which is about half way along the route. Moreover, it is well worth a visit if you are in the area! Ko Shrine, 1-9 Honmiyacho, Konosu, Saitama 365-0076. View on Google Maps.
Access
Some of the festival area is just five minutes from the east exit of the JR Konosu station on the famous Nakasendo, the old trail / highway that linked Edo and Kyoto. There is limited parking at three different sites; Konosu Park, City Hall and Konosu train station. The latter is charged.
Konosu is a great city for festivals and record breaking history, you can find lots more information about Konosu on the blog. For more upcoming festivals and events see here.
Editor’s note; we temporarily removed this post from the site during the pandemic. It was republished on June 12th 2023. R2.20180701
just so many festivals its really unbelievable how active the communities in Japan are!