10 Events in Shizuoka That You Shouldn't Miss

This event is held in Shizuoka at the beginning of November every year and brings numerous artists from around the world together. It began in 1992 and has now became a signature Shizuoka event. Held principally at Sunpu Castle Park and sites around the city, various enchanting performances are put on. Performers are grouped into three categories: of those, the performer scoring the most points in the World Cup category is crowned as that year's champion.

This model and toy trade fair is held in Shizuoka City every May and features plastic models, radio-controlled toys, model trains, and more. It is the largest model hobby event in the country, gathering together the latest products and promotional items, including new products that have not yet been released. At each exhibition corner, visitors can directly ask questions of staff members from the manufacturers, and some of the items are available for purchase. In additional to the wide variety of model-related events, there will also be an "attraction corner" and workspace setup where visitors can get first hand experience with products that catch their interest. The fair is certain to delight the whole family, kids and adults alike.

Records state that, after his retirement, Tokugawa Ieyasu took his retainers to Shizuoka to see the cherry blossoms. Today, an annual festival is held to mark the coming of spring. Around Sunpu Castle, an amazing historical parade is reenacted, almost as if you are seeing a history book come to life. The story revolves around influential figures going to see the cherries, and there are five key scenes set up, spanning from a luxurious feast under the trees to a decisive conclusion with a large torch parade and bonfire. At each location, an amazing historical story unfolds. Each year, a different famous figure assumes the role of Tokugawa Ieyasu himself.

In early August, a three-day festival is held in Kiyomizu, Shizuoka Prefecture. The main street running through Kiyomizu is opened to some 30,000 residents, who engage in unique dances like the "Minato Kappore" and the "Kappo Reggae." There are also traditional local dances like the Jiro-cho Odori, the Minato Odori, and the Kiyomizu Odori, dances special to this area. The last day concludes with a fireworks show, with a range of complex fireworks and high-speed blasts being shot off from aboard pontoons on the water. The colorful fireworks light up the night sky and reflect on the water -- marvelous!

The Abe River Fireworks began as an event in 1953 for the repose of those fallen in war and as a prayer for reconstruction. Today, it features a wide range of large-scale, complex fireworks and is considered Shizuoka Prefecture's finest fireworks show. The variety of colorful fireworks are launched from the center of the Abe River and can be seen from either bank. The final blast of rapid-fire fireworks is simply amazing in its impact.

In 1953, a shopping arcade in Kiyomizu, Shizuoka assumed a central role in starting this festival as a means of reconstruction after the war and of promoting commerce. Colorful bamboo decorations crafted by children line the streets around Kiyomizu Ginza, Kiyomizu Station Ginza, the arcades, and local businesses. Today, this event is a harbinger of summer in Kiyomizu. During the event, the local deity is transported from Oshiba Shrine to Tanata Shrine, a shrine in the Ginza arcade in front of Kiyomizu Station. People throng to donate small sheafs of paper inscribed with a wish. There is also a competition for the best bamboo decoration, and a Kiyomizu original, the Chibi Maruko-chan Festival.

The Hatsukaesai at Sengen Shrine is Shizuoka City's largest festival. It goes back over 450 years and was considered a major rite of the Sunpu Castle since as far back as the rule of the Imagawa clan. It is held when the cherry blossoms reach their full bloom each year. Portable shrines are paraded about and the local deity is transferred from one point to another. A court dance performed by a child, a rite that is a designated intangible folk culture asset of Shizuoka Prefecture, is also put on. Close to 120 shops and stalls appear along Sengen-dori and within the shrine grounds, plying their wares.

Every week in May, in the midst of Japan's "Golden Week," a series of holidays in succession, Aoi-ku in Shizuoka holds the Samba Carnavalem. For two days, the entire town seems to transform into a South American city, in this, Shizuoka's largest Latin-culture inspired event. The best samba teams from throughout Japan congregate to show their stuff, and they parade around the center of town in vivid garb and put on vigorous and athletic performances of "bateria" (percussion troupes), generating a light and vigorous beat that will make you move your feet. Special beer gardens are also installed in town for the event. Over 100,000 people attend the event each year.

Shizuoka oden is one of the unique specialties of Shizuoka cuisine. This fair was launched in 2007 in order to promote oden to a wider audience. Aoba Koen-dori, where oden stalls once served this food to local patrons, is where the festival is held. For three days in mid-March, around forty shops, including local vendors from Shizuoka, appear to share the joy of oden with festival-goers. One of the features of Shizuoka oden is the black broth in which fish cake and other ingredients are topped with green seaweed flakes and bonito shavings -- what an eccentric way to eat! Since 2014, a special area has appeared where you can sample different oden interpretations from around Japan. There is also a "summit" serving locally-brewed sake.

This festival celebrating fire prevention deities takes place every December 15th and 16th at Akihasan in Shimizu, Shizuoka. On both days, hundreds of vendors set up along the road approaching the shrine and the scene is bustiling with crowds of spectators. On the first day, all of the fire brigades from the area get together and march wearing Edo period fire fighter costumes from the center of town to the main temple building. On the second night, a Shinto fire-walking ritual is performed on a smoldering fire alter to cleanse impurities. Starting at the same time as the ritual is also an intriguing "bamboo-cutting contest." Here people take home bamboo grass from green bamboo they hack down as a symbol of safety and prosperity for their homes.