10 Cultural Events in Tochigi Prefecture That You Shouldn't Miss

This event is held at Yunishigawa hot spring in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture every year for a period of about one month starting in late January. Venues are set up in 6 or 7 locations, mainly around Heike no Sato, and in the afternoon, visitors can experience outdoor pastimes unique to snow country, including snow rafting, sleigh rides, and snow slides. Those who prefer to stay indoors can enjoy a barbecue inside houses made of snow called kamakura. When night falls, candles in miniature kamakura along the river are lit up. This magical scene is certified as a "historical and cultural night view heritage" by Nihon Yakei Isan.

The Yamaage Matsuri in Nasukarasuyama, Tochigi features open-air kabuki plays on a stage in the heart of the city. While dozens of kabuki performances are held throughout the town during the festival, the highlights take place on a giant 100 x 20-meter open-air stage constructed especially for each year's festival. The "yama," or "mountain," in the festival's name refers to the mountain-and-water backdrops for the stage, created from Nasukarasuyama's special Japanese-style paper, built (the "age" part of the festival's name) by human hands. The magnificent stagecraft on display makes the Yamaage Matsuri one of Japan's premier festivals.

Held every spring during Golden Week since 1966, this ceramics market takes place in Mashiko, renowned as the home of Japanese earthenware pottery. During the fair, about 50 pottery shops and 500 tents sell traditional Mashiko ware, everyday necessities such as cups and plates, and pure works of art. Shoppers can chat with potters and ceramics artists as they browse. The market attracts pottery collectors from across Japan-and even bus tours from Tokyo.

The Kanuma Buttsuke Autumn Festival is a regular event held by Imamiya Shrine at various locations in the historic district. 23 Extravagant festival cars called chokoku-yatai (engraved floats) are paraded around the streets of Kanuma. On the first day, the chokoku-yatai are marched in and out of Imamiya Shrine, and after the citizen parade on the second day, the festival cars are split into four groups and depart from four different intersections, coming together at one intersection for the yatai soroihiki (gathering and presentation of floats). A highlight of the festival is the recital contest of the buttsuke - the traditional orchestra that announces the floats.

At 2.4 hectares, Shibazakura Park in Ichikai-Machi, Tochigi is Honshu's largest. Every year, in April or May, the shibazakura ("moss phlox" or, more descriptively, "cherry blossom grass") bloom to form a carpet of pink. From a viewing platform in the park, visitors can take in a 360-degree view of the spectacular panorama. To celebrate the event, a month-long Shibazakura Festival is held: restaurants, food vendors, and booth selling local vegetables, mushrooms, and flowers are erected, and on the weekends, a variety of events are staged, including dancing, performances of the Nagoya harp, and popular song shows.

The Utsunomiya Gyoza Festival is a popular culinary event with stalls run by over 20 gyoza (dumpling) establishments from around the city. The festival began in 1999 to celebrate the gyoza of Utsunomiya with a large number of people, and is held annually on the first Saturday and Sunday of November. A wide variety of gyoza are on offer, including pan-fried, deep-fried, and boiled gyoza. At 100 yen per plate (3 dumplings), a chief attraction of the festival is the opportunity to sample the many options available. Over the two days of this popular event, there will be a variety of activities - including a jazz concert and a talk show - and commemorative stamps will be offered as well.

Held for over 300 years at the Hagurosan Shrine, the Bonten Matsuri is dedicated to asking the Buddhist Deva Bonten for a bountiful grain harvest. The festival is held in the springtime on May 5 and in autumn on November 23 & 24, with the latter considered to be particularly magnificent. Young men in white happi coats carry 17 m-high effigies of Bonten on bamboo poles, waving them up & down and shouting in spirited voices as they make the journey on foot to Hagurosan Shrine.

The Sontoku Natsu Matsuri is held every summer in Mooka, Tochigi (previously Ninomiya) at the river terrace in Kinugawa Park. Visitors can come in contact with a variety of traditional cultural displays here, which has been the site of Sontoku Taiko drum performances, folk entertainment, and Bon Festival dances since times long past. There are nearly 100 vendor stalls at the festival grounds and a fireworks display caps off the summer festival when night falls. Jumbo fireworks like extra-large chrysanthemums and no. 10S (30 cm/12 in diameter) take center stage in a display that lights up the night sky with around 10,000 shells, as the Sontoku Taiko Preservation Society drives the festival to a climax with a recital contest that fills the air with the bold sounds of Taiko drums.