The Kisai Gingko Festival is held early in November every Autumn, usually the first Sunday of the month. It is essentially an Autumn festival, nothing particularly to do with gingko trees! Moreover, it is a local festival, attracting about 7500 visitors from Kazo and neighboring cities annually. Unfortunately, I didn’t get this post out earlier in the week as planned, so this is another ‘short notice’ event post, as the festival is on tomorrow: Sunday November 5th 2023.
Kisai Gingko Festival
Autumn is the season for hot air balloon rides in Saitama Prefecture. There are dozens of places you can experience going up in a moored hot air balloon ride at this time of year. Including at the Kisai Gingko Festival in Kazo City. In addition, there is a market at the festival and local schools and clubs perform dance and music routines, including Yosakoi.
The featured image, at the top of the post, is of the gymnasium at Kisai Sogo Park, the park where the festival is held. It was taken during the hydrangea festival. Please note, there are no hydrangea in bloom at the moment. They bloom in June.
Information
Event: Kisai Gingko Festival 銀杏祭り
Date: Sunday November 5th 2023
Time: from 9.30 am to 3 pm, weather permitting.
Cost: there is no admission fee to the festival. The cost of the hot air balloon ride has not been disclosed.
Venue: Kazo City Kisai Sogo Park 加須市騎西の総合公園 , 355 Sotokawa, Kazo, Saitama 347-0107. View on Google Maps.
Access
The festival is held at the Kisai Sogo Park, which is beside Kazo’s famous hydrangea road. There is a parking lot at the park, but you can’t use it when the festival is on. Instead they have three temporary parking lots. One is at the Kisai hospital, another at JA Hokusai Kisai branch and the third at Kisai Sogo city branch office. There is a shuttle bus from the latter parking lot to the park.
If you are coming by public transport, you get a bus to Kisai Castle Stop and the park is about a ten minute walk from the castle. Buses go from either the south exit of Kazo Station on the Tobu Isesaki line or the east exit of Konosu Station on the JR Takasaki line.
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