KUMAGAYA NIGHT FESTIVAL

~ UCHIWA MATSURI ~
SAT • 22 JUL
COST BY AGE GROUP:
$30 (All Ages)
ITINERARY:
Depart 1:30 p.m.
Kumagaya 3:30–10 p.m. (Festival Climax at 9 p.m.)
Return 12 a.m.

Tour includes bus transportation. There is a lot of walking
involved on this tour. We do not recommend taking small
children as the festival can get very crowded.
Kumagaya Night Festival, or Uchiwa Matsuri, is a festival
hosted by the Yasaka Shrine that dates back to the
16th century. The name “Uchiwa Matsuri” comes from
merchants offering their customers an uchiwa, a handheld
Japanese fan, to cool from the summer heat. The growth
of the silk industry meant that the surrounding towns were
soon brimming with residents, and each neighborhood
competitively purchased festival floats, setting the stage for
Uchiwa Matsuri as we know it.
This festival is considered the number one float festival in the
Kanto region and is held for three days from 20 to 22 July,
and the last day is considered to be the pinnacle of the event.
Various activities are held on the pedestrian-only streets and
the Community Square hosts traditional Japanese drumming.
At dusk, the 12 floats standing by in their neighborhoods begin
their parade through the streets, performing traditional music
and gathering at the city center for a joint demonstration