Please note: The 2020 Aizu-Tajima Gion Festival will be held on a much smaller scale this year, as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19. Attendance will be limited to local people.
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.
| Website | http://www.minamiaizu.org/gion/(Japanese) |
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| Best Season |
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| Event Recurrence | Held annually from July 22 to 24 |
| Access | The festival is a short walk from Aizu-Tajima Station View directions |
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| Getting there | By Car:
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With its high-quality powder snow, Hoshino Resorts Nekoma is perfect for all levels of experience, especially for full-fledged skiers. The Freestyle Park is popular among snowboarders on account of its rich variety of terrain features.
Yanaizu Town is best known as the birthplace of the legend of the lucky red cow Akabeko, but it is also known for its famous manju (sweet steamed buns). Hot in Yanaizu is a center with a bit of everything; it sells local products, has sightseeing information, rest areas, and an eatery. They even have an "experience area". It goes without saying that, at Hot in Yanaizu, you can paint your own Akabeko, but you can also make manju with the help of the facilities' kind staff (Read more here). Hot in Yanaizu have staff that can speak English, but please make sure to contact them in advance, as you might not be able to do the experience without placing a booking. Please take your time & enjoy the slow pace of Japanese countryside life in Yanaizu Town.
Kuimaru Elementary School is a historic Japanese school that was built during the Showa era of Japan, making it over 80 years old! In the 1980s, a modern elementary school was built nearby, leaving this old school house abandoned. Fortunately, this building was preserved and converted into a museum. It happens to be one of only a handful of old fashioned schools left standing in Japan! Here you can explore the old school grounds including a large ginkgo tree that is over 100 years old. A long standing symbol of the school. In Autumn (early to mid-November) the leaves turn a beautiful golden yellow, and when they fall, the school yard is carpeted in these golden leaves. The school building has undergone some light renovations, but the charm of this old building has been beautifully preserved. Inside the building you can wander through the halls and explore the classrooms, you can sit at the little wooden desks, page through some old textbooks and imagine what it would have been like to be a student here around 80 years ago! Fun fact: The school building was once used as a filming location for the 2013 movie Hameln (ハーメルン). After you explore the school if you are feeling a bit hungry, there is a café next door called “Soba Café SCHOLA” that serves 100% buckwheat noodles (soba noodles) as well as other dishes created with 100% buckwheat (soba) flour. These dishes are naturally gluten-free and delicious.
Come be surrounded by Mother Nature, enjoy ice fishing, and eat delicious, fresh smelt in Urabandai! During November and December, smelt fishing is done from on board a traditional Japanese houseboat. From January through March, it can be enjoyed atop the ice. The houseboats and the rental houses available for ice fishing allow you to fish in warmth and comfort. A one-day, 700 fishing permit is required and can be purchased at convenience stores in Urabandai. For information about smelt fishing, please contact the Urabandai Tourism Association.
Ouchi-juku’s rows of thatched-roof houses (which date back to the Edo Period) are transformed into a winter wonderland during Ouchi-juku Snow Festival, which takes place every February. Bright white snow falls and slowly builds up, as candles burn bright in snow lanterns, bathing the old post town in warm light. Various events are held during the two-day festival, the highlight being the fireworks on the first evening.
Snow sculptures big and small take center stage at this exciting, local snow festival. Try out local cuisine and browse traditional locally-made crafts at the Tadami Furusato Snow Festival. As night closes in, the snow sculptures are dramatically lit up. They look even more fantastic when surrounded with the light of the fireworks display that is held on Saturday and Sunday evening.
Lake Numazawa Festival is held on the first Saturday and Sunday of August every year at Lake Numazawa in Kaneyama Town. It is said that over 800 years ago, a man killed a giant snake (dragon) that lived at the bottom of Lake Numazawa in order to protect Kaneyama Town. Over the course of the 2 days, local people will act out this folktale at the lakeside. Come and visit to enjoy some local shows, watch firework displays on the Saturday night, and catch some fish!
Every year on January 7, the Naked Man Festival (Nanokado Hadaka Mairi) is held at Enzoji Temple, Yanaizu Town. During this traditional event - which draws many tourists every year - local men clad in loincloths make the challenging climb to the top of Enzoji Temple, in the hopes of ensuring happiness and protection from disease in the year to come. If you apply in advance, you might even get a chance to participate too!