Chichibu Night Festival
event
Event Dates
December 2nd, 3rd
Chichibu Night Festival, one of the three major Hikiyama festivals in Japan alongside Kyoto’s Gion Festival and Hida’s Takayama Festival, is the annual festival of Chichibu’s head shrine, Chichibu Shrine. It is held every year on December 2nd and 3rd.
Two luxurious “kasaboko” floats and four “yatai” floats are pulled on the day of the festival, with the climax of the festival on the night of the 3rd, when the giant floats, weighing to 20 tons, are pulled up a steep hill named “Dangozaka.”
The “Chichibu Night Festival Yatai Event and Kagura (Shinto music and dance)” were registered as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritages in 2016.
Basic Information
Car: From Hanazono I.C. on the Kanetsu Expressway, use the Minano Yorii Bypass on Route 140.
Map
Nearby spots
Chichibu's souvenirs are all here! If you are looking for souvenirs of Chichibu, why not visit here? They have a wide range of products from popular souvenirs of the Chichibu area to the local mascot character, Potekuma-kun goods.
Chichibu Festival Museum exhibits materials related to the booths and kasaboko (combined umbrella and halberd carried on floats in some festivals) of the Chichibu night festival that takes place every year on the 2nd and 3rd of December. The booths, kasaboko, curtain, sculptures made by Shōwa’s master craftsmen are arranged in a design related to the Myōken belief. At noon, the lanterns are switched on to reproduce the night festival. Within the noise of the palatial Chichibu booth music, the luxurious booth and kasaboko can be seen right before your eyes.
Our brewery’s well “Bushūyama Jyōryūsui (water flowing underground) has been acknowledged for having some of Japan's best water of the Heisei era. If you bring a container, feel free to fill it up!
Marking 2100 years, Gochinza, a Sōja of Chichibu, has been revered since ancient times. In a forest of oak, there is an atmosphere with style and solemn beauty. The existing main building of the shrine is a contribution of Ieyasu Tokugawa in 1592 and was designated as Saitama Prefecture’s tangible cultural property due to the fact that it holds much of the Edo period’s early architectural style.
This facility was built in the early Meiji period around 150 years ago as a merchant's inn. Chichibu-Kan was renovated while maintaining its original construction and atmosphere as much as possible and re-opened as a base for social interaction and tourism. The first floor is a free rest area with a large fireplace, and surrounding it are rental boxes where citizens can display and sell their handicrafts and ceramics. Whether it's for tourism information or to mingle with the locals, we hope you will visit Hot Spot Chichibu-kan!