Asahikawa Summer Festival is one of the biggest summer events in northern Hokkaido. Approximately 900,000 people attend this 3-day event every year.
On the first night, a massive display of 4,500 fireworks light up the summer evening sky. From the second day onwards, you can witness the Butou E Parade where approximately 3,000 residents in Japanese traditional clothing (Yukata or Hanten) showcase beautifully synchronized dance routines in a lively parade. Many more events are held such as the Taisetsu Association’s “Mikoshi” portable shrine procession, and Rekka Tanabata Festival where you can see colourful floats and can hear people chanting “Re-ka Rekka! Seiara Seiara!”.
The San-Roku Festival is held around Sanroku, the second biggest commercial district in Hokkaido which is located in Asahikawa City. It is held at the same time as the Asahikawa Summer Festival meaning visitors get to enjoy two different festivals at the same time. There are a lot of food stalls set up during the festival. Ramen Festival (Ramen stall area) is very popular throughout the festival as ramen is such a famous dish world-wide and visitors can taste and compare the best local ramen.
The festive season in Asahikawa is definitely summer which coincidently is the season for beer gardens. Beer gardens are set up in Asahikawa so people can enjoy delicious craft beers and the Mongolian lamb barbecue dish, Genghis Khan.
Please come and visit Asahikawa this summer to experience the festivities!
http://www.city.asahikawa.hokkaido.jp/kankou/index.html
