Although it’s not one of the major festivals, the Akasaka Hikawa Matsuri is an easily accessible community festival with lots of activities and events.
It features restored dashi which are traditional wheeled floats. That’s not a very enlightening description, so if you want a better idea of what we’re talking about, check this video on Youtube. One of the floats features a not very traditional but quite impressive hydraulic lift which raises it up to about 5 metres in height.
Schedule 2022
Friday, September 16: (18:00-21:00) A traditional Hikawa float, entitled “two old men standing” (you can imagine how that looks), and the town council’s mikoshi* (portable shrine) will parade around Akasaka-Mitsuke Station. Procession map can be found here.
Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18: (15:00-21:00) Night market at Hikawa Shrine with special shops and stalls and from 18:00 there will be a bon odori dance festival.
Sunday, September 18: (9:30-16:00) The Hikawa shrine’s mikoshi* followed by two traditional floats will be paraded around Akasaka. Members of the public are encouraged to help pull along the traditional floats (registration is required and is now full). Procession map can be found here.
Note: There is also a shinto ritual on Thurs, Sep 15 but the general public are discouraged from attending.
*This year the mikoshi will be on a trolley and not carried.
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, many events have been canceled. Always check official sites before heading to an event.
