Shimizu City in Shizuoka Prefecture is famous for Chibimaruko-chan.
Did you know that the Tanabata Festival is held once a year?
A number of stalls line the long distance from the Shimizu Ginza shopping street in Shimizu City to the front of Shimizu Station,
The event is crowded with many people every year.
The sheer number of stalls is astonishing.
And the bamboo decorations, the main attraction of the Tanabata Festival, are rich in characters and unique creations,
It is a festival that both children and adults can really enjoy.
Today I would like to introduce you to the Tanabata Festival in Shimizu.
Location of "Shimizu Tanabata Festival
Shimizu Tanabata Festival
Venue: Ekimae Ginza Arcade Street - Shimizu Ginza Shopping Street
Address: Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture
Tel: 054-353-3401 (Shimizu Tanabata Festival Executive Committee)
Once you get off at Shimizu Station, the stalls begin there, so you will not get lost.
If you are coming by car, please use the several nearest parking lots.
There is a fairly long section of stalls,
You can enter the festival from any direction.
Shimizu Tanabata Matsuri Festival: When to hold the festival and what to see
The Shimizu Tanabata Festival is held every year in early July over four days between Saturday and Sunday.
Please check the official website for firm dates and times.
What is unique about the Shimizu Tanabata Festival?
As mentioned earlier, it is the number of stalls and various bamboo decorations that can be spread out over a long section of the festival.
Many visitors come especially for the bamboo decorations,
Contests are also held, so many participants compete their skills every year.
Local residents, children, and the general public seem to have come up with their own themes for their creations.
Chibimaruko Prize
Shimizu City is also the town of Chibimaruko Chan, so there is also a "Chibimaruko Award",
Many Chibimaruko-chan bamboo decorations are also displayed.
From Disney characters to celebrities,
You can see that both children and adults are enjoying themselves with a twinkle in their eyes because they really don't get tired of watching, even the moving bamboo ornaments.
Shimizu Tanabata Festival Recommended Spots
The Tanabata Festival attracts a very large number of people.
More people come by train,
If you want to avoid the crowds, go to the opposite end of Shimizu Ginza around the end of the stalls.
It is relatively empty and easy to take pictures.
Events during the Shimizu Tanabata Festival, etc.
During the festival, not only many stalls will be open, but the shopping district will also hold events.
Some stores offer big discounts, so be sure to check them out.
There will also be a stage, with bands and kids dancing,
A brass band will also perform.
Visitors can write their wishes on strips of paper and decorate them at the Tanabata Shrine, which is set up only during the Tanabata Festival.
The written materials will be securely burned at a later date.
Please stop by.
History of the Shimizu Tanabata Festival
The Shimizu Tanabata Festival was first held in 1953 in the shopping district of Shimizu City (now Shimizu Ward, Shizuoka City),
It seems that the event was first held to promote postwar reconstruction and the further development of commerce.
At the first Shimizu Tanabata Festival, approximately 2,000 stores, including those in Sodeshi, Aioi-cho, and other shopping districts, participated in the festival,
The festival was a great success, one of the largest of its kind in the country.
In the 1950s, the Shimizu Tanabata Festival was
Shimizu Ginza Shopping Arcade, Shimizu Ekimae Ginza Shopping Arcade
The event has become increasingly grandiose, centered on the
Tanabata decorations start with decorations centered around a kusudama decoration (a round ball with a streamer attached),
Many of them are said to have come to be "trick floral decorations" that imitate the customs and fashions of the times.
The Shimizu Tanabata Festival, which was canceled only once, on July 7, 1974.
The rain that started on Tanabata Day rained heavily until the morning of the 8th, totaling over 500mm of rain,
The Tomoe River and its watershed were heavily flooded, and both Shimizu Ginza and Ekimae Ginza were not spared from damage,
This year's Tanabata Festival was canceled in the middle of the festival period.
For Shimizu, July 7 holds a haunting memory.
The "Shimizu Tanabata Festival" is held on this day,
It is not only a Tanabata Festival as a star festival with "bamboo grass leaves..." but also a Tanabata Festival as a star festival,
It may also have a "Uranbon Festival" meaning for those who were sacrificed on July 7.
I am reminded of the history of the Tanabata Festival and feel that I would like to make it more and more exciting.
Recommended gourmet foods and openings
The regular stalls are nice, though,
The shopping center is attached to a shopping street, so there are also stalls that are unique to the shopping district.
The menu and drinks are handmade at each restaurant.
Just looking at them is enough to make one's eyes wander.
It's a long distance, so it's a good place to eat and walk.
And there are traditional stalls.
Stalls selling turtles, beetles, and hermit crabs.
Don't you miss it? Does it always tickle your boyish heart?
Every year it is crowded with children and fathers with a twinkle in their eyes.
Experience a rare opening of a store nowadays.
Shimizu Tanabata Festival Traffic regulations and congestion
During the Shimizu Tanabata Festival, the Ginza Street in front of the station and
Kiyomizu Ginza Street will be closed to vehicular traffic.
This can cause congestion on the surrounding streets.
Please note that nearby parking lots fill up quickly.
As for trains, stations are crowded depending on the time of the day, so please be sure to take a train at least once a week.
Please allow plenty of time to get there.
The Shimizu Tanabata Festival is a festival where the shopping district and local residents come together to make the festival a success.
This is the only place where you can experience a unique festival that you will not find in any other region.
It's sure to be fun for adults and children alike.
Why not visit?
