Greater Tokyo · Saitama · Kumagaya

Kumagaya Uchiwa Festival

熊谷うちわ祭

Kumagaya’s summer festival for its Yasaka Shrine, said to be the greatest Gion festival in the Kantō region. Twelve floats roll through the town centre and face off in tatakiai, battles of festival music. Held every year from 20 to 22 July.

20–22 July 2027

263 days away

Every year, 20 July, for 3 days

Future dates: 20 July 2027 · 20 July 2028 · 20 July 2029

Origin

The festival of Kumagaya’s Yasaka Shrine dates back to the Edo period. Shops along the streets became known for handing out red-bean rice to customers during the festival, and from around 1902, it is said, the owner of a local restaurant began giving out fans, or uchiwa, which gave the festival its name. In 2012 it was designated an intangible folk cultural property of Kumagaya City.

What to look for

The draw is the tatakiai, in which the floats line up face to face and try to outplay one another. On the night of the 20th every neighbourhood gathers in front of Kumagaya Station for the first round; on the 21st the floats parade along Route 17, closed to traffic; and on the night of the 22nd the festival ends at the festival plaza with a final face-off and the handing on of the year’s organising duty to the next neighbourhood, a role that rotates among eight of them.

How to watch

The festival goes ahead in light rain, but in stormy weather some events may be cancelled or changed. Photography is fine, but leave the tripod behind, keep out of closed-off areas and do not fly drones. Visitors can help pull the floats, except when only short, thin ropes are out. Pray at the temporary shrine in the festival plaza and you are given a blue votive uchiwa. The official website shows where each float is in real time.

If you go

The festival fills the streets around Kumagaya Station, centred on the festival plaza, a short walk from the station. On the official schedule the first face-off is at 6:30 p.m. on the 20th, the parade from 1 to 4 p.m. on the 21st and the final face-off at 8 p.m. on the 22nd, though times change from year to year. There is no festival parking; on the 21st and 22nd park-and-ride buses run from Kumagaya Sports and Culture Park.

Where

Central Kumagaya (festival plaza and surrounding streets)

Kumagaya, Saitama

Open in maps

Sources

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