Cultural Experiences
Green Tea Experience at Suirakuen Garden
Try matcha green tea in a traditional tea house in Suirakuen Garden, located inside Nanko Park. Suirakuen Garden is also a popular place to visit for its fall foliage.
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- Iizaka Kenka Matsuri (Iizaka Fighting Festival)
Iizaka Kenka Matsuri (Iizaka Fighting Festival)
The 2025 festival took place from Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th October, 2025. The main event, featuring the clashing of the stalls, took place on the Saturday 4th, starting around 20:30, at Hachiman Shrine in Iizaka Onsen.
One of the three major fighting festivals in Japan, the Iizaka Fighting Festival has a tradition three hundred years in the making. It's said that Iizaka's annual harvest festival was beset by young men bashing floats against one another to prolong the festivities, and over time this became a core part of the event. This festival is so vibrant that throughout the town you can hear the beat of Japanese drums like an earthquake as huge floats crash together in battle. Hachiman Shrine becomes the main stage for the festival, after the floats are paraded around the streets.
The main day of the festival, in which the floats clash in front of the shrine, takes place on the Saturday, and is the only day to see the main showpiece of the festival. Although the action starts at 8.30pm, many people choose to go to the shrine much earlier, since the shrine grounds get very busy once the floats enter.
Venue Details
| Website | https://iizaka.info/event-schedule/ |
|---|---|
| Contact | Fukushima City Tourism & Convention Association (+81) 24-563-5554 |
| Best Season |
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| Entrance Fee | Free |
| Related info | Held every year on the first Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of October. *Saturday is the only day during the festival when you can see the floats crashing into each other. |
| Access | Hachiman Shrine, 1 Yawata, Iizaka-machi, Fukushima City, Fukushima Pref. 962-0866 View directions |
|---|---|
| Getting there | By Train: Hachiman Shrine is a short walk from Iizaka Onsen Station on the Fukushima Kotsu Iizaka Line. |
Nearby
Cultural Experiences
Design Your Own Shirakawa Daruma
There are records of Shirakawa Daruma (Japanese traditional dolls) being sold as far back as the feudal reign of the Niwa Domain in 1627. Current Shirakawa Daruma are known as “Shirakawa Tsurugame Shochikubai Daruma.” The faces of these dolls are painted to incorporate various animals and plants, with the eyebrows representing cranes, the mustache representing a turtle, the ears representing pines and plum trees, and the beard representing bamboo or pine trees. All of these images are thought to bring good luck. The daruma is known to be a very classical, lucky talisman, started by Matsudaira Sadanobu, the lord of Shirakawa, when he hired the renowned painter Tani Buncho to paint the now famous face on the daruma doll. Once every year a large Shirakawa Daruma Market is held to celebrate and sell the beloved daruma dolls. You can paint your own daruma at the two daruma workshops in town!
Outdoor Activities
JRA Fukushima Racecourse
The only Japan Racing Association racecourse in the Tohoku region. Enjoy the excitement of the seasonal races held during Spring, Summer and Winter, as well as the traditional Tanabata Prize in July. The racecourse also has other areas for enjoying yourself, including a children's play area and athletic facilities, making it a great place to come with the family.
Outdoor Activities
Ebisu Circuit
Ebisu Circuit – revered as a drift racing paradise – is visited every year by lots of international visitors. Ebisu Circuit’s ‘Drift Taxi’ experience lets you ride as a passenger in a special drifting car while a professional Drift School Teacher speeds around the circuit! Booking and more information here.
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Events & Festivals
Shirakawa Daruma Market
Shirakawa Daruma Market is held annually on February 11. On this date, the streets become lined for 1.5 km with stalls selling Daruma of all shapes and sizes. This lively, exciting market celebrates the culture and history of Shirakawa Daruma – a traditional doll which is characterised by having cranes for eyebrows, a tortoise for a moustache, beard made of bamboo, and pine and plum branches for cheeks, all of which make it a very auspicious item to keep at home.
Events & Festivals
Sukagawa Shakadogawa River Fireworks Festival
One of the largest scale events in the prefecture, this fireworks show features stunning firework displays, a hanabi-e-maki performance which combines music and fireworks, and displays from firework masters throughout Japan. Around 10,000 fireworks can be enjoyed during this 1.5 hour event.
Events & Festivals
Ebisu Drift Matsuri (Ebisu Drift Festival)
See our total guide to the festival for details on ticket prices, things to do in the area and more.The Ebisu Circuit is a famous car racing track and drifting school in Nihonmatsu. Three times a year, it holds the Ebisu Drift Matsuri (Ebisu Drift Festival), a thrilling event that gathers car drifting fans from across Japan and abroad.The festival usually goes from Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon, during which participants can drift all day and night in the designated courses for a set fee. There are typically three Drift Festivals a year: Spring Drift Festival (ドリフト春祭り): Usually held in April Summer Drift Festival (ドリフト夏祭り): Usually held in August Autumn Drift Festival (ドリフト秋祭り): Usually held in NovemberEbisu Drift Matsuri in 2025: Spring: April 19th & 20th (Sat/Sun) Summer: August 23rd & 24th (Sat/Sun) Autumn: November 15th & 16th (Sat/Sun)Participating in the Drift Festival is a perfect opportunity to get the most out of a visit to the Ebisu Circuit. For instance, using the racing courses at the Circuit would normally require a reservation, but, during the event, participants are free to use the course of their liking between the available options. Because of that, cars run right next to each other, making the already exciting prospect of drifting even more adrenaline-packed!To participate, you can register at the website before the event. Even if you cannot drive, you can make your way there to watch the incredible maneuvers of drifters as they screech their way through the courses. A big allure of the festival is the atmosphere of being among drivers and car enthusiasts.For updated information, please refer to the official site of the Ebisu Circuit (in Japanese).2025 Event Dates for Ebisu Circuit (in Japanese)
Events & Festivals
Cosquín en Japón
Cosquín en Japón is an Argentinian and Latin American folk music festival held yearly in Kawamata town in central Fukushima Prefecture.People who love Latin American folk culture, including musicians, singers, and enthusiasts, come together to enjoy the music and dance performances at the festival. The event is open to both amateur and professional performers, and, over the years, the number of participating groups has increased from 13 in its first year to more than 100 in 2023.The festival, held since 1975, takes place at the Kawamata Town Central Community Center (川俣町中央公民館に会場) over two or three days. It is organized by Norte Japón (North Japan Latin American Music Federation).The festival name means ‘Cosquín in Japan’ in Spanish, and pays tribute to Argentina's most important National Folklore Festival, held each year in the town of Cosquín in the province of Córdoba.A variety of rhythms and artistic styles from Latin America are represented at the festival. Its main focus is Argentinian and Andean folk music, which is played with instruments such as the quena, charango, acoustic guitar, and bombo.You can attend the festival for free without needing to register beforehand.