What started out as a 100 participant parade in 2014 has grown exponentially with an estimated 1000 parade participants in 2016, and around 5000 spectators in 2017. By 2018 the event was the largest Halloween event in Saitama. In 2019 – the largest in Kita-Kanto! The event was cancelled inRead More →
Tentative information for the 2021 Tsurugashima Splash Festival. The 2020 festival did not go ahead on account of the Coronavirus outbreak. The 2021 date has not yet been decided (September 2020). I will update closer to the time. Don’t worry if you missed the excellent Water Fight festival in OmiyaRead More →
The Tatara festival is the largest annual festival in Kawaguchi with over 160 stalls and approximately 150,000 people attending. In 2019 three major changes were made to the festival. They are outlined below. Another significant change is that the organizers have stated they will not have a Tatara Festival inRead More →
Inomata Hundred Light festival, or Inomata 108 lights, is one of 312 Important Intangible Folk Properties of Japan. It is held annually on the 15th of August in the Inomata area of Misato in the Kodama District of Saitama. It is the bon ceremony of the town with an approximateRead More →
On April 27th 2020, months ahead of its scheduled date, the Nagatoro Tourist Assocation announced the cancellation of the 2020 Nagatoro Fundama Festival. Like the majority of events cancelled in 2020 it was due to concerns about the Coronavirus outbreak. It is too early to tell (September 2020) if theRead More →
Menuma Festival Kumagaya City Saitama Japan 2021 – This child friendly festival is held at the Menuma Sports Park on the first Saturday of August annually. It attracts about 10,000 spectators. Menuma Festival On April 8th 2020 it was announced that the festival would be cancelled for 2020 on accountRead More →
The Tanabata Festival (Star Festival) is held from August 4th to August 7th annually in Hikawa Shrine Kawagoe. They have a Wind Chime event simultaneously. This year, 2020, on account of the Coronavirus they are not opening the religious services to the public, just priests, but they will have theRead More →
The Nakasendo matsuri is just one of many festivals that is normally held in Omiya at the end of July and start of August each summer. They are collectively called “Omiya Summer Festival”. Unfortunately, but understandably, they were all cancelled in 2020 due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Official notification ofRead More →
Spark Carnival – The 33rd annual spark carnival, one of a collective of Omiya Summer Festivals, was due to be held on August 1st 2020. However, due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the carnival was cancelled along with dozens of other festivals in Saitama City. The carnival is generally held onRead More →
Ageo fireworks are one of the 10 largest firework displays in Saitama. Approximately 10,000 fireworks will be launched, including “shakudama” 尺玉 which are the largest sized shells. There are starmines as well as fireworks with celebratory messages for birthdays, marriage and good results in tests. These fireworks attract about 160,000Read More →