Chizu-Cho
A Truly Beautiful Countryside Town in Tottori, Japan
CHIZU'S WONDERFUL FESTIVALS
Yuki Matsuri
(Chizu-shuku Snow Festival)
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Early February
A fantatsic and colourful weekend festival. Snow sculptures all over the town - many statues based on the animals of this year's Chinese zodiac animal. Lots of stalls seliing delicious winter food for lunch and dinner. The snow and statues are lit up at night. Chizu can get a lot of snow in winter - sometimes 60+ cm in one night.
Carved bamboo
Hina Matsuri
(Doll Festival)
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March
Come and see thousands of tradtional Japanese dolls displayed in homes, streets, temples and streets all over downtown Chizu. Also lots of delicios street eats.
Cute doll on tree
Hanami - Sakura Cafe
(Cherry Blossom Festival)
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Early April
Chizu is beautiful during the cherry-blossom season. Mountains, templaes and villages are very... pink. Wherever you go, you will find the perfect spot for a hanami picnic. A prime spot is at the purpose-built, open-air Sakura Cafe, erected over the Sendai River for a weekend in early April in downtown Chizu. Lots or red umbrellas to sit under and a red-felt stage above the river from which to look at the 180 sakura trees lining the river. Delicious eats at cafe stalls. Live entertainment all day on both days.
The first Sakura Cafe (It's bigger now)
Dodan Matsuri
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May
Come and see and buy the beautiful Japanese shrub white enkianthus. Street eats and local fun.
Photos coming soon.
Kinsai! Minsai! Odorinsa!
(Summer Dance Festival)
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Late Aug/Early Sep
"Kinsai, Minsai, Odorinsai" literally means "Come, Look and Dance!". This colourful festival takes place in late August/early September. It sees a whole day of dance groups from across Japan performing in downtown Chizu. Lots of colour, music and dance. A great chance to get up close to dance groups, musicians, drummers and other performers. Also lots of street stalls with good things to eat and drink.
Drum group
Chizu-shuku Haikara Ichi
(The High-Class Festival)
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November
The historic district of Chizu becomes the setting for a retro-step back to the Taisho Period of Japan (around 1920). The townfolk and visitors come dressed in stylish clothes from that period; vintage cars are parked in the streets and a feeling of "high class" permeates the area. Lots of delicious street eats available.
Photos coming soon.
Hashira Matsuri
A must-see festival that takes place once every six years. Locals cut down four Japanese cedar trees from behind Suwa Shrine. They take off the bark and put each tree on a specially designed, ornamnental platform. A team of hardy men carry the trees in different directions around Chizu town from around 8am, throwing the massive trunk into the air a few times a minute. Sake and rice cakes is offered to the carriers and tourists on street corners. Three hours later, the trees are carried up to Suwa shrine where they are cleansed and purified by Shinto priests. Each tree is positioned at each corner of the shrine.
Photos coming soon.
More About Chizu:
Chizu is officially one of Japan's most beautiful villages:
http://utsukushii-mura.jp/chizu/
Please come and visit to see just how beautiful Chizu is:
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