With a history stretching back over 400 years, the Taimatsu Akashi is one of the three major fire festivals in Japan. As the night grows darker and the bonfires flare brightly here and there around the venue, groups of local junior high and senior high school students march through the town carrying 30 8-meter-long wooden torches called Hon-taimatsu, which they created by themselves, followed by a group of young men carrying the huge wooden torch called the Dai-taimatsu (10 meters long and weighing about 3 tons), and a group of women carrying a smaller wooden torch called the Hime-taimatsu (6 meters long and weighing 1 ton). These torches are carried to the top of Mt. Gorozan.
There is also a wooden frame depicting Sukagawa Castle and a group of samurai warriors. As the drummers from Oushu Sukagawa Taimatsu-Daiko Hozonkai powerfully beat their Taimatsu-Daiko drums, the torches and the wooden frame are lit with a sacred fire carried up by a group of runners from Nikaido Shrine. The whole mountain looks as if it is on fire. The combination of fire and the beating of the drums is reminiscent of the days in the Warring States period.
In recent years, this traditional event has become well known as a participatory festival, allowing neighborhood associations, local elementary school pupils, and tourists to join the parade to Mt. Gorozan, each carrying a thin torchwood called a Sho-taimatsu (10 cm in diameter).
| Website | http://www.sukagawa-kankoukyoukai.jp/Event/page08.html(Automated translation available) |
|---|---|
| Contact | Sukagawa City Tourism Association (+81) 248-88-9144 |
| Best Season |
|
| Parking | Available (Spaces for close to 2000 cars around the venue) |
| Related info | Event tends to start from 6:30 PM |
| Access | Mt. Gorozan in Midorigaoka Park, Kuriyasawa, Sukagawa City, Fukushima Pref. 962-0866 View directions |
|---|---|
| Getting there | By Car: 10 min from the Sukagawa I.C. exit off the Tohoku Expressway By Train: 10 min taxi ride from Sukagawa Station on the JR Tohoku Main Line |
Ebisu Circuit – revered as a drift racing paradise – is visited every year by lots of international visitors. Ebisu Circuit’s ‘Drift Taxi’ experience lets you ride as a passenger in a special drifting car while a professional Drift School Teacher speeds around the circuit! Booking and more information here.
Established in 1836, the Yoshinoya family has been continuing the production of Enobori banners using traditional techniques. Originally the family business was a kimono shop, however, the side business of painting Enobori banners began to grow until is eventually became their main business.These banners typically feature images of warriors and can be quite complex with their designs. They are made by painting on banners with a type of calligraphy ink.To create clean and uniform design, stencils are made from various materials to be used as a guide for the design. Once the basic design is painted with a stencil, you connect the lines and add fine details by hand.As a nod to a famous Sukagawa person, they began creating a design of Ultraman posing as a samurai warrior! You can try out the traditional banner making method explained above to create tote bags and small banners featuring a variety of samurai and Ultraman samurai designs.©円谷プロ
A rural landing field located 10 km Northwest of central Fukushima City. Starting with the Azuma Mountain range, the beautiful mountain vistas surrounding this massive location will leave you mesmerized. In addition to aircraft take-off and landing practice, it is possible to use the Fukushima Sky Park for various events. It is widely used for music events, automobile and motorcycle test drives, and a test venue for public organizations.
Try matcha green tea in a traditional tea house in Suirakuen Garden, located inside Nanko Park. Suirakuen Garden is also a popular place to visit for its fall foliage.
This is one of the three major fighting festivals in Japan and has a tradition three hundred years in the making. This festival is so vibrant that throughout the town you can hear the beat of Japanese drums like an earthquake as huge floats crash together in battle. Hachiman Shrine becomes the main stage for the festival, after the floats are paraded around the streets.
The Fukushima Fireworks Festival is something of a local pride in Fukushima City. Around 8,000 fireworks of a huge variety of explode against the night sky. The firework line-up even includes fireworks that are specifically designed for things such as warding away evil, and granting wishes!
The Ebisu Circuit is a famous car racing track and drifting school in Nihonmatsu. Three times a year, it holds the Ebisu Drift Matsuri (Ebisu Drift Festival), a thrilling event that gathers car drifting fans from across Japan and abroad.The festival usually goes from Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon, during which participants can drift all day and night in the designated courses for a set fee. There are typically three Drift Festivals a year: Spring Drift Festival (ドリフト春祭り): Usually held in April Summer Drift Festival (ドリフト夏祭り): Usually held in August Autumn Drift Festival (ドリフト秋祭り): Usually held in NovemberEbisu Drift Matsuri in 2024 (tentative): Spring: April 13th -14th Summer:August 10th -11th Autumn:November 16th -17thParticipating in the Drift Festival is a perfect opportunity to get the most out of a visit to the Ebisu Circuit. For instance, using the racing courses at the Circuit would normally require a reservation, but, during the event, participants are free to use the course of their liking between the available options. Because of that, cars run right next to each other, making the already exciting prospect of drifting even more adrenaline-packed!To participate, you can register at the website before the event. Even if you cannot drive, you can make your way there to watch the incredible maneuvers of drifters as they screech their way through the courses. A big allure of the festival is the atmosphere of being among drivers and car enthusiasts.The information in this post is accurate as of 2023 but could change. For updated information, please refer to the official site of the Ebisu Circuit (in Japanese).
The Nihonmatsu Lantern Festival is held yearly on the first Saturday, Sunday, and Monday of October. The highlight of the festival is the procession of festival floats during the first evening. Seven large festival floats adorned with lanterns and filled with locals playing taiko drums make their way through the streets of Nihonmatsu City, filling the streets with festival music as they move. The final destination for the floats is the Nihonmatsu Shrine.Don't miss the breathtaking sight of 3000 lanterns attached to the floats, burning against the night sky.