Aizu-Tajima Gion Festival

Aizu-Tajima Gion Festival

This festival - recognised as a Significant Intangible Folk Cultural Asset - has a history of over 800 years. The highlight of the festival is watching a procession of women dressed in beautiful traditional Japanese wedding apparel, making their way to the shrine at the heart of the town. The kabuki performances carried out by local children is also worth seeing.

Venue Details

Venue Details
Websitehttps://www.kanko-aizu.com/about/(English)
Best Season
  • Summer
Access Details
AccessThe festival is a short walk from Aizu-Tajima Station
View directions
Getting there

By Car:

  • 1 hour drive from Aizu-Wakamatsu City.
  • 2 hour drive from Fukushima City and Koriyama City.

By Train:

  • From Asakusa Station, take the Revaty Train to Aizu-Tajima Station (Takes around 3 hours 15 minutes)
  • From Aizu-Wakamatsu, take the Aizu Railway Line from Aizu-Wakamatsu Station to Aizu-Tajima Station (Takes around 1 hour 15 minutes).

Nearby

The World Glassware Hall
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Aizu Painted Candles Craft Experience

Aizu Erosoku (painted candles) are sumptuous items that were long-prized among samurai families. Delicate and vivid patterns such as chrysanthemums, plum blossoms, and peonies are painted onto candles made of natural Japan wax extracted from the fruits of lacquer trees. Each candle is still painstakingly painted one by one, and they serve as regal decorations in Shinto and Buddhist ceremonies and weddings. A candle painting experience is available at Ozawa Candle Shop (Reservation required).
The World Glassware Hall
Cultural Experiences

Mori no Bunko Fuzawa

Mori no Bunko Fuzawa is a mountain village life workshop facility where guests can experience the lifestyle, nature, and charms of living in a Japanese rural mountain village. [photo id="wedA3wsHghGka5MbrORGYjRkj8BGAinlLCOG5O0L.jpg"] This building was a working school up to 40 years ago, the black board in one classroom where all of the students wrote their goodbye messages on the last day of school has been preserved as is. (If you visit, please be sure to avoid touching, erasing, or writing on the black board.) [photo id="fNNbYszCkKk3qvw1ozp5lY5yn8UDJPkrsrHf05Jf.jpg"] All three classrooms are available to stay the night in! Guests are charged per person, not per room, so if your group are the only ones staying the night then you are free to spread out into all three of the rooms. This is the kind of lodging that Japanese students would stay in on overnight school trips, so there is a sense of nostalgia when staying here.  There are also many different activities that you can experience when staying here, such as local and traditional craft making and even river trekking with local guides! Read more about river trekking experiences here. [photo id="YrRrT5cHuDe3wK75RWrxgat8d8JPQP9P7bQgJwuY.jpg"]

The World Glassware Hall
Cultural Experiences

Makie Painting Lacquerware Experience at Suzuzen

Suzuzen was established in 1832 as a lacquerware wholesale shop. Not only can visitors see process of lacquerware being finished using gold and silver dusted designs called 'Makie', but visitors can also have the opportunity to design their own lacquered product using Makie design techniques, which is perfect to take home as a souvenir. Booking & More InformationSuzuzen is made up of 6 kura (Japanese-style warehouses), which have been renovated. The Suzuzen warehouses include a gallery featuring pieces by contemporary artists who use lacquer in their work, and a cafe which is open for lunch. English-language signs also make the history of lacquer in Aizu accessible for overseas visitors.
Discover Aizu Area

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