The 5 Best Events in Odawara, Kanto

This fireworks display is held every summer in the area along the banks of the Sakawa River, which flows through the heart off Odawara, Kangawa Prefecture. 6,000 To 7,500 colorful star mines, small burst fireworks and trick fireworks light up the night sky, captivating a large number of spectators. The highlight of the show comes during the finale, with a 300-meter long and 30-meter tall Niagara display that spans the Sakawa River. While a brilliant shower of light flows down over the river, large blooming fireworks are timed to launch with music, forming a gorgeous display that should be considered a single story.

A plum blossom festival held every year between February and March in Soga no Sato (Soga Bessho), a place known for its roughly 35,000 plum trees. The entire area is blanketed in crimson, pink, and white blossoms, and wrapped in the faint fragrance of plums. A leisurely stroll through the area will take 30-40 minutes, and you will pass multiple photo spots with a view of stands of weeping cherry trees and Mount Fuji. You can enjoy plum-related foods at the nearby cafeterias and food stands, and purchase saplings or other merchandise. On the weekends during the festival period, they also hold events featuring horseback archery, the Kotobuki Lion Dance, folk dancing, taiko drum performances, and more.

A cherry blossom festival held from late March to early April, centered around Odawara Castle Park-also known as one of the 100 famous Japanese cherry blossom spots-where roughly 320 Yoshino cherry trees are in full bloom. The "Weeping Cherry Tree of Choko-zan Shotai Temple," said to be roughly 340 years old, standing about 13 m tall, with a trunk circumference of roughly 4.7 M, is also not to be missed. The festival period includes attractions like a parade of people dressed in kimono, and a cheerful mood prevails. Paper lanterns are lit in the evening, creating a fantasy scene of cherry trees against the backdrop of the Odawara Castle tower and moat.

This chrysanthemum festival is held every November. The exhibition is set up inside Odawara Castle, featuring an array of about 700 pots of chrysanthemums, grown by people varying from elementary school students to chrysanthemum lovers. Chrysanthemums appear in all sorts of arrangements, from a combination flowerbed with a miniature Odawara Castle decorated with small chrysanthemums, to a cliff with flowers spread across and hanging over it, to a large single bloom display, and more. A chrysanthemum appreciation society also runs a "Chrysanthemum-growing consultation booth" for the duration. The scene of chrysanthemums arrayed against the backdrop of Odawara Castle is one of the distinctive memories you can make of an autumn visit to Odawara.

The major summer event held every year on a Saturday and Sunday in late July in Odawara, a city which flourished as a post town on the Tokaido highway. Various festivities are held around the common theme of the Odawara paper lanterns, made to be easy for travelers to carry. The main highlight is the aquatic art fair. Roughly 2,000 paper lanterns made by local elementary school students light up the Odawara Castle moat with color. Events are held on both days, including a paper lantern dance competition, a taiko drum performance, a mikoshi (portable shrine) parade, and more, and many food carts are set up on the grounds.