Hometown Homepage - Takasaki　Festival and Events

Spring Festival (cherry blossom season/ Gunma Music Center City Gallery)

This is a festival of flowers, lights, and music, which is held to celebrate the cherry blossom season. The events include a concert, public reading of one's own poem, and an open-air bazaar in addition to the lighting up of the cherry blossom trees along the moat for a spectacular night.

Takasaki Festival (the first Saturday and Sunday in August/ city street)
This big summer event starts with the opening ceremony at the stage constructed in front of the city Government building. It is followed by a lively parade by companies and various groups wearing uniformed yukata (an unlined cotton garment) and happi (a kind of thin jacket). They carry things such as dashi (festival car) and mikoshi (a portable shrine) with encouraging shouts around the town, and the festival closes with one of the biggest fire works in the Kanto area at Karasu-gawa River. Takasaki Festival

Mt. Kannon-yama Fire Festival (the fourth Saturday in July/ Mt. Kannon-yama)

Jigan-ji Temple, standing on the east side of Byakui Dai-kannon, is the main stage at the Fire Festival. The flames, raging furiously to the dark sky, appeal to the spectator, and the festival has earned fame as people's favorite evening event.

Daruma-ichi
Daruma-ichi Market (January 6 - 7/ Shorin-zan Daruma-ji Temple, Hanadaka-machi)
The Daruma-ichi festival is held at the birth place of daruma as a big event in the new year's celebration. It is one of the biggest festivals in Japan, about 400,000 people visit every year to pray for better fortune. The festival goes on through day and night.

Takasaki Takigi-Noh (mid October/ Mt. Kannon-yama)

A Noh (Japanese traditional play) with a bonfire is performed on top of Mt. Kannon-yama. It leads the audience to the subtle and profound world of Noh art. This event is also favored by the local people as a natural scene which adds poetic charm to the autumn season.

A fete in honor of Ebisu Market (the end of November/ Miho-okuni Jinja Shrine and the market street)

This is a festival to pray to Ebisu (the god of wealth) for business success. This business honoring celebration has a long history unique to this town of commerce.

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