Top 10 Cultural Events in Saitama Prefecture, Kanto

Celebrated for over 360 years, the Kawagoe Matsuri is a proud tradition celebrating the area's Edo culture. Held every 3rd weekend of October, brilliant, large-scale festival floats amass around the "old" part of town, where steeple-roofed temples, lively food stalls, and wide streets give off a historic charm. The floats, which crowd the area, are decorated with dolls and sets. The highlight of the festival is "Hikkawase", when these floats compete at "ohayashi", a type of dance accompanied by frenzied flues, handbells, and drums. The crowd joins in by hoisting up lanterns and chanting.

This festival is held every year from July 19th to 23rd and is the main festival of the Yasaka Shrine in Kumadani City. The festival originates from an old tradition whereby each household used to cook sekihan (red rice) to ward off illness and disease. This was called the Kumadani Sekihan Festival until later years when the use of uchiwa (paper fans) became popular and the event was renamed the Kumadani Uchiwa Festival. This tradition lives on today in the passing out of free paper fans from shrines and stores throughout the city. The boisterous event features 12 floats from each district along with musicians and taiko drummers who put on an exciting show.

This festival, which has a history of over 230 years dating back to 1783, is held by the Yakumo Shrine, which is the patron shrine of the former Kuki City. The highlight of the festival is the seven large traditional Japanese floats held by each district that carry musicians as well dolls representing the gods out of the old myths across the city during the day. At night, the dolls are taken off the floats in exchange for some 500 paper lanterns. The sight of the 7.5M tall floats festooned with lights and gathered in the Kuki Station West Gate Plaza where they are made to spin around and collide with each other is awe-inspiring and justifies the festival's reputation as the premiere lantern festival of the Kansai region.

This festival is held every year between late March and early April in Gogendo Park, which is located in northern Satte City, Saitama Prefecture. In spring the Yoshino cherry trees planted along a 1km long embankment in the park bloom all at once, creating a breathtaking tunnel of flower petals. The nighttime lighting of the cherry blossoms near Toge no Chaya are also unmissable viewing. The bright yellow of the rape blossoms that bloom along the embankment also make for a beautiful contrast. During the cherry blossom season, some 100 street stalls are set up alongside a variety of events including product fairs, haiku competitions, Japanese tea parties, and marathon races.

In Tamashiki Park, Kazo City, there is a large wisteria tree that is estimated to be about 400 years old, and it has been designated as a natural monument of the prefecture. About 30 wisteria trees make up five wisteria trellises, which bloom with stunning flowers from late April through early May. The flower cluster of the Great Wisteria is as large as 1m, and is spectacular. During the blooming period there are stage performances of taiko drumming and yosakoi, open-air tea ceremony and koto, children's shows and other events.

The Chichibu Yomatsuri is a spectacular festival held in the dead of winter. Ornate floats take to the streets of the city, decorated with carved wood, embroidered tapestries, and cascades of paper lanterns. Drum and flute music accompany their procession around town, and when they reach their final destination for the evening, it ignites a two-and-a-half hour fireworks display. Revelers warm their hands against helpings of delicious fried food and sweet wine, sold by the many merchant's stalls that pop up around the festival.

The Gyoda Ukishiro Festival is a summer tradition among the residents of Gyoda city and is held annually during the last weekend of July. On Saturday, the eve of the festival, a concert stage and flea market are set up on the intersection in front of Gyoda Station. Sunday's boisterous festivities center around a Danbe dancing parade that moves through the city as well as competing taiko drummers riding atop traditional floats.

The Ogose Ume Matsuri is a festival held every year from late February to late March at a plum grove in the Iruma district of Saitama Prefecture. Ogose Plum Blossom Park is counted among the top three plum groves in the Kanto region (the other two are Mito Kairakuen and Atami Baien), and it is said to have originated from trees planted when the shrine dedicated to the soul of Sugawara no Michizane was moved from Dazaifu in Kyushu. Visitors can enjoy viewing more than 1,000 plum trees, with varieties such as red-blossomed kobai, white-blossomed shirakaga, and Ogose yabai, including ancient trees said to be more than 600 years old. There is also a miniature steam locomotive (1/10 scale model) that runs through the plum grove on a looping track 253 meters long (Please note that the days of operation are scheduled in advance). Folk entertainment events such as Japanese drum concerts and lion dances are also scheduled.

The Saikasai was started by local residents in 1984 and has lots of great events like an open-air flea market and the Kan-hasshu Yosakoi Festival. On the second day of this three-day event, you will see a beautiful fireworks show. Single and multiple blasts go up, in total some 7,500 fireworks. Seeing the fireworks go up above the center streets of town is thrilling.

This festival held in Ogawa City, Saitama Prefecture, has a long history dating back to 1949. Ogawa City is known as the Kyoto of the Musashi Region for its picturesque scenery and is famous for its production of traditional Japanese washi paper. During the festival, the city is festooned with Tanabata ornaments that stand as a testament to the 1,300-year history of washi making in the region. In addition, mikoshi (Japanese palanquins), dancers, and musicians weave through the streets while street stalls also set up shop. Visitors can participate in washi-making workshops as well as sales and exhibits, stamp rallies and contests. At night, the festivities will continue with approximately 2,000 fireworks including star mines featuring in a show at the Segenyama Miharashi no Oka Park.