Fukuro Festival

Fukuro Festival

Autumn is a time when summer starts to recede, and winter begins to set in. And, Japan is in its coolest, and pleasantest, in this most beautiful season of autumn. With a chill in the air, the smell of the maple leaves, and the wonderful colors of the fall foliage, Japan takes on a vibrant form. Japan's most beautiful season, autumn, is also a time for the celebration of regional autumn festivals, which are locally called 'Matsuri'. A large amount of the autumn festivals in Japan are related to the harvest and fall foliage, but there are also various other festivals that are held throughout the country. Fukuro Festival is one event that is celebrated with much vigor and energy.

Fukuro Festival, held at West Square is Ikebukuro's biggest festival, and takes place sometime around the last weekend of September and first weekend of October. Usually held around 23-24, 30 September, and 1st October, this is a big annual event that takes place in the west square of Ikebukuro Station. An event that attracts more than 200 thousand people from all over the world, the Fukuro Festival has the following highlights -

A parade of portable shrines, called 'mikoshi';
Performances of ancient Edo arts;
An Ikebukuro Yassa festival; and
A "Yosakoi" dance performance around the station plaza.

The Ikebukuro Fukuro Festival was started in 1968, and was sponsored by the Ikebukuro Trade Association with the main aim of serving as a tourist attraction. However, the event has now come to hold a place of pride in the vent calendar of Japan, and is celebrated with great energy and enthusiasm.

The Fukuro Festival begins with the procession of a grand parade, with natives and tourists carrying portable shrines called "mikoshi". This carrying of portable shrines is an ancient tradition of Japan, and involves a lot of people. Fukuro Festival's mikoshi parade is a time when the Japanese, and the foreigners visiting Japan at that time, walk shoulder to shoulder, carrying the 'mikoshi'. Everybody is allowed to participate, though those who are interested in carrying the mikoshi need to register in advance, around end-august.

The Fukuro Festival ends with the "Tokyo Yosakoi", which is the most popular event of the festival, and is most often held on a Sunday. A large number of teams that range from 10 member groups to 150 member groups participate in this annual dance competition. The main attraction of this competition lies in the vibrant and colorful costumes of the various participating regional groups, and the actual dance, which is performed to the rhythm and beat of the "naruko", a musical instrument.

The Fukuro Festival also witnesses a number of other enjoyable events, such as -

Japanese Taiko drumming,
A karate demonstration, and
Folk Dancing in the evening.

The Fukuro Festival is held at Ikebukuro West Gate Park, outside the Ikebukuro Station, with various events held on the stage of the Nishiguchi Park, and other special stages constructed in front of the station. Everybody is welcomed with open arms, and are free to be a part of this wonderful and colorful Fukuro Festival.

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