Press release -
Events and traditional festivals in the Tokyo area where you can experience autumn in Japan.
In much of the area of Tokyo and the four surrounding prefectures crossed by the Tobu Railway, events and autumn festivals that symbolize Japan are held from the end of September to the beginning of November. Events such as the Kawagoe Festival, a modern revival of the Tenka Matsuri from the Edo Period, and the grand festival held in autumn at the World Heritage site Nikko Toshogu Shrine are crowded with visitors from Japan and abroad every year. Tobu Railway is selling convenient “DISCOUNT PASS” limited to foreign visitors to Japan, a good deal for visiting places such as Nikko, the Kinugawa area, and Kawagoe.
Kawagoe Festival, with a continuous history of about 360 years
This traditional event, which is also designated as a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, is held in Kawagoe's "Little Edo."
Kawagoe Festival
The Kawagoe Festival has a history of about 360 years, and has also been designated as a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. The dazzlingly decorated dashi, or festival floats, which are used in Japanese festivals, are pulled down the streets lined with the traditional kura-zukuri architecture that is the symbol of Little Edo, in a dashi event which overwhelms spectators with its scale and impact and brings a large turnout. The festival reaches its peak in the evening, with the energy of the dashi floats bumping into each other, while playing the ensemble with Japanese flutes and drums, and the enthusiasm of attendees, which has continued to this day.
Dates : October 15th (Saturday) and 16th (Sunday)
Place : Kawagoe Station area, Kawagoe, Saitama *Take the Tobu Tojo Line to Kawagoe Station (about 30 minutes from Ikebukuro Station, Tokyo）
[How to Enjoy the Kawagoe Festival]
In Kawagoe, called Little Edo, the streets are lined with kura-zukuri buildings, and there are also kimono rental shops, and stores for Japanese products and sweets. We recommend the “Kawagoe Discount Pass” (¥700 for adults), which is a set including a round trip discount ticket for the Tobu Tojo Line between Ikebukuro Station and Kawagoe Station or Kawagoeshi Station, along with discounts or free services you can get by showing the pass at six designated facilities including souvenir shops and restaurants. Using this discount pass and enjoying the full package of the Kawagoe area before the Kawagoe Festival is a great way to enjoy your stay.
DISCOUNT PASS URL：http://www.tobu.co.jp/foreign/en/
Experience time travel back to the Edo period with horseback archery and samurai procession
Autumn Grand Festival held at World Heritage Site Nikko Toshogu Shrine in the Nikko and Kinugawa area
Nikko Toshogu Shrine Autumn Grand Festival
(October 16th (Sunday) Shinto ritual horseback archery / 17th (Monday) Hyakumonozoroi Sennin Musha Gyoretsu festival)
A grand festival is held at Nikko Toshogu Shrine twice a year, and in August, it includes the Shinto ritual offering of “Yabusame”, firing arrows at targets from atop galloping horses, and the “Togyosai” called “Hyakumonozoroi Sennin Musha Gyoretsu”, in which participants reenact the procession from Sunpu Kuno-zan to Nikko for the reburial of Tokugawa Ieyasu. In particular, the Hyakumonozoroi Sennin Musha Gyoretsu, during which all 1,200 participants go up and down the road leading to the shrine, surrounding the portable shrine, will really make you believe you have traveled back to the Edo Period.
Dates : October 16th (Sunday) and 17th (Monday), 2016
Place : Nikko Toshogu Shrine, Nikko, Tochigi
*Take a 9-minute bus ride from Tobu Nikko Station on the Tobu Nikko Line (about 1 hour, 50 minutes from Asakusa Station)
[How to enjoy Nikko]
Nikko is a world-famous sightseeing area in Japan, with abundant natural areas showered with attention as power spots, and temples and shrines that give a sense of their long history. In this season, you can see autumn foliage in various places around Nikko, and we recommend staying overnight so you can relax in the hot springs and take your time seeing the autumn leaves and festivals. For round-trip tickets to Nikko, the “ALL NIKKO PASS” (¥4,520 for adults) is a four-day pass, saving ¥1,600, and includes unlimited railway and bus rides in the Nikko and Kinugawa area; the “2DAY NIKKO PASS” (¥2,670 for adults) is a two-day pass, saving ¥550, and includes unlimited railway and bus rides in the Nikko and Kinugawa area.
DISCOUNT PASS URL：http://www.tobu.co.jp/foreign/en/
Enjoy the portable shrine and dancing before your eyes in industrial Ikebukuro
A large-scale festival held in an urban area representative of Tokyo
Fukuro Matsuri
In September, about 30 portable shrines gather, and the sounds of enthusiastic shouts and lively ohayashi festival music fills the air. In October, over 100 teams from all of Japan participate in a contest displaying various styles of yosakoi festival dancing.
DatesSeptember 24th (Saturday) and 25th (Sunday),
October 8th (Saturday) and 9th (Sunday), 2016
Place Ikebukuro Station East Exit, Toshima, Tokyo
*Directly outside Ikebukuro Station on the Tobu Tojo Line, JR lines, Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line, Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line.
[How to enjoy Ikebukuro]
Ikebukuro boasts Japan's top-class shopping area, with plenty of shopping facilities, and permanent tax-exemption counters set up at the Tobu department store. Also, there is “Virgin Road”, with plenty of anime and cosplay goods, so after trying out otaku (nerd) culture, you can enjoy Japan's traditional festival culture.
An impressive kabuki-themed video will be shown on the observation deck of TOKYO SKYTREE, using the window glass as a giant screen
TOKYO SKYTREETEMBO KABUKI
The tallest free-standing broadcasting tower in the world, TOKYO SKYTREE, a sightseeing spot that symbolizes Japan, will use the big window glass of its observation deck, which is located at 350 meters above the ground, as a giant screen (about 110 meters wide and 2 meters tall) to project impressive scenes of Japan's traditional art of kabuki. The unusual kabuki screening will be set to famous rock songs so that people from foreign countries can also enjoy it.
Term : Scheduled from October 5th, 2016 (Wed) to January 31st, 2017 (Tue)
Place : TOKYO SKYTREE Tembo Deck Floor 350, Sumida, Tokyo
*Directly outside TOKYO SKYTREE Station on the Tobu Skytree Line (about 3 minutes from Asakusa Station); also directly outside Oshiage Station
[How to enjoy TOKYO SKYTREE]
At TOKYO SKYTREE, there are also over 300 shops in TOKYO Solamachi, as well as an aquarium, planetarium, postal museum, etc., right at your feet, so you can enjoy the entire day there. Also, you may enjoy sightseeing at Asakusa, which is a short trip by train or on foot. Furthermore, we offer the “Fast Skytree Ticket”, which allows you to smoothly go up to the TOKYO SKYTREE Tembo Deck.
URL: http://www.tokyo-skytree.jp/en/reservation/
At Tobu Treasure Garden, 1,800 colorful autumn rosebushes are in full bloom,
unfolding in a beautiful scene interwoven with an English-style church and brick buildings.
Autumn Rose and Garden Festival
“The Autumn Rose and Garden Festival” is held at Tobu Treasure Garden, where 1,000,000 flowers of 4,000 varieties have been planted in an extensive garden. The 1,800 brightly-colored autumn rosebushes, including 1,015 different cultivars, and salvia are in full bloom, and mid-October is the best time to see them; the British-style church and brick buildings within the garden create a beautiful and harmonious scene.
Term : October 8th (Saturday) to November 6th (Sunday) *Dates may be extended depending on the condition of the flowers.
Garden hours : 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (entry until 4:00 p.m. only)
Entrance fee : Middle school and over: ¥800 to ¥1000, elementary school and under: ¥300 (depending on the condition of the flowers)
Place : Tobu Treasure Garden, Tatebayashi, Gunma
*About 15 minutes' walk from Morinjimae Station on the Tobu Isesaki Line (about 1 hour, 30 minutes from Asakusa Station)
[How to enjoy Tobu Treasure Garden and the surrounding area]
Autumn flowers such as roses, cosmos, and salvia are in full bloom in red, yellow, pink, blue, and purple colors. Also, at neighboring Tatebayashi Station, you can enjoy plenty of Japanese food, including lightly-flavored catfish and udon, as well as aged sake using wine bottles made by long-established breweries.
