Kumagaya (Japanese) Fan Festival
event
Event Dates
July 20th to the 22nd
Kanto’s best Gion Festival, performed every year for three days between July 20th and the 22nd. Furthermore, it is one of the most prominent festivals in Saitama prefecture, bustling with life, and attracting many visitors. There used to be a custom on the day of the festival to cook Sekihan, red bean rice, to eliminate plagues. Based on this custom, Sekihan was offered at shops and known as Kumagaya’s Sekihan Treat. Later, fans were given as gifts instead of Sekihan, and the festival was called Kumagaya Uchiwa (fan) Festival instead.
The festival starts with the Togyo Festival (transferral of a sacred object from its place of enshrinement), by the second day, the Jyunkō Festival takes place in which stalls line up and parade floats are pulled through town, adding up to a total distance of around 10.5 km. On the last day, 12 floats and stalls gather, with the “Hikkawase Tatakiai (in which floats are faced to one another and festival music play), marking the climax of the festival. After, in solemn air, the portable shrine returns to the main shrine, and “Kangyo (Return) Festival” is held, quietly ending the festival.
Basic Information
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Nearby spots
With around 500 trees blooming along the bank of the Arakawa River, this spot has been famous for its cherry blossoms since the Edo period (1603-1868). It has even been selected as one of the 100 best cherry blossom spots in Japan by the Japan Cherry Blossom Association. During the Kumagaya Cherry Blossom Festival, held from late March to early April, the cherry blossoms are lit up at night so that visitors can enjoy them after sunset as well!
The Katakura Silk Commemorative Museum is built in the cocoon warehouse of the Kumagaya Factory, the last silk manufacturing plant of Katakura Industries, and has been recognized as a Heritage of Industrial Modernization by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry. To preserve and pass on the 121-year history of the company's silk production, the museum displays the machinery used to produce silk at the Kumagaya Factory, and you can follow the entire process from cocoons to raw silk.
The "tanjun (simple)" hot spring, a variety of hot spring common among the top hot springs, can be enjoyed here in a typical Japanese rock style bath. Furthermore, you can enjoy Ganban’ yoku “Rakujyudō”, reclining chairs, and massage machines freely! Other than these, we are equipped with a high-concentration carbonated spring that even gathers attention from the medical industry! This is a luxurious facility to spend a fulfilling day.
Oshi Castle has been counted as one of the 7 famous castles in the Kanto region; it was built in the civilization years of the Muromachi period. It is known as an “Uki-jō (Floating Castle)” as it is said to have endured the flooding of Ishida Mitsunari during Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s suppression of Kanto. This story has been modeled for the movie “Nobō-no-Shiro (The Floating Castle)”. As of now, it has been listed as one of the 100 famous Japanese castles. The “Oshijyō Gosankaiyagura (Oshi Castle Three Story Turret)” was torn down during the Meiji period and was rebuilt in 1988, with the inside being an exhibition room of the local museum; the whole view of the city can be seen on the top floor.
Established at the end of Edo’s Kaei period (1850), Japanese sake, ume liqueur, sake lees are sold at the old-fashioned sake brewery and Taishō period’s store. A cozy experience that can only be enjoyed at a small brewery. In the case of touring the brewery, you will get a small sake cup as a present. The taste of various alcohols kept at different temperatures can be compared, with games for sake tasting on the menu. Please consult with us regarding the content of the experience along with the price range. Tours are not based on a particular season, however, the sake is prepared during the winter. It may be difficult to tour during the periods in which sake is prepared.