Major Festivals
2005 Event Calendar |
Let the Wild Rumpus Begin!
(major festivals and their dates for 2005)
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| Acacia Festival |
June 11 & 12 |
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The Acacia Festival celebrates the flowering of the Acacia Tree that were
planted around the hills of Kosaka to restore the forest that was destroyed
by the exhaust from the refinery. The two day festival is full of fun events
such as the Kosaka International Society Cricket Competition, Taiko (Japanese
drum) performances, folk song concerts and stalls selling tasty treats.
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| Tanabata Festival |
August 6 & 7 |
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A long standing tradition in Kosaka, the Tanabata festival is held on the first weekend of August. The floats, called dashi in Japanese, are pulled through the town during two days of drunken revelry.
Making the floats is a process both intricate and fascinating. A wire frame
is constructed, and then squares of paper are glued on and painted. Finally,
the whole structure is illuminated from within. The construction of the
floats usually takes around two months. Each neighbourhood produces a float
and the best float is chosen at the end of the festival. The winning float
has the honor of appearing at the Kunizakai Festival.
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| Kunizakai Festival |
September 3 & 4 |
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Kosaka Town co-hosts the Kunizakai Festival at Lake Towada with neighboring
Towadako Town in Aomori Prefecture. The Kunizakai Festival is a mixture
of the best festivals from the 3 prefectures of northern Tohoku (Akita,
Aomori and Iwate) with floats and dancers coming from all over the area.
Some of the more famous festivals that take part are Aomori Nebuta, Hirosaki
Neputa and Akita Kanto. As mentioned above, Kosaka Tanabata makes an appearance
too.
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| Wine Festival |
September 18 |
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| To celebrate the production of Kosaka's very own wine, each year a wine
festival is held in Kosaka's Central Park. You purchase a ticket to enter
the barbeque space which includes Kazuno beef, Towada momobuta pork and
a bottle of Kosaka wine. In addition, there are many food stalls and entertainment
from the Central Park stage, including a karaoke contest. |
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| Fuyu Monogatari |
February 3 - 26 (2006) |
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| Despite the stinging cold, Lake Towada is a beautiful place to visit during
the winter. Swans migrate from Siberia to spend winter on the lake. Fuyu
Monogatari features many magnificent snow statues and kamakura (Japanese
igloos). Firework shows are put on every night for the duration of the
festival. There are regional delicacies on sale, outdoor onsen, hot wine,
and Tsugaru jyamisen (with a different flavor from it's cousin the shamisen)
concerts. The lakeside path out to the Bronze Maidens Statue is lit up
with lanterns made out of snow. |
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