10 Events in Chiba Prefecture That You Shouldn't Miss

A festival held at Sakura Furusato Square in Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture every April. Against the background of the Dutch windmill standing in Lake Inbanuma, about 700,000 tulips of 70 species bloom in vivid colors. During the festival you can rent Dutch costumes and take commemorative photos against the background of the windmill and the tulip fields. In addition, you can pick tulips to buy, there are street organ performances that transport you to the Netherlands, and with such one-night-only events as an illumination and a mini fireworks display, the venue is crowded with many people every year.

A fireworks display that draws crowds of 410,000 or more people every year and is known as the tradition that decorates the summer night sky of Kashiwa and Abiko in Chiba Prefecture. At three venues in Kashiwa and Abiko, which surround Lake Teganuma, fantastic underwater fireworks, powerful Ultra-Jumbo Star Mines, and popular children's character fireworks are among the approximately 13,500 fireworks launched. Since the firework preferences vary at each launch venue, the unique fun of the "Teganuma Fireworks Display" is being able to sample the differences by moving from one location to another. There are also many stalls opened, centered around cheap and popular dishes.

This firework display takes place every August in Tateyama city, Chiba prefecture. Tateyama Bay is also known as Kagami ga Ura ("Mirror Inlet" in Japanese) because, with its gentle waves, it looks just like a mirror. The event sees 10,000 fireworks set off across the Hojo Coast on Tateyama Bay. The highlight is when number eight water fireworks, which are the biggest in the Kanto area, are set off over the surface of the water. You cannot miss the extra-large star mine, which appears within a sequence of 100 star mines large and small. On the day, there is a flamenco stage organized by students. As the fireworks begin, people at the venue simultaneously erupt into even greater excitement.

This firework display is held over the river bed of the Edo River, which flows along the border of Saitama prefecture. The highpoint of the event is the music and light performance called the Sky Musical. The appearance of message fireworks, which spell out messages before they launch, really stirs up the crowd. The fireworks are visible across the entire area of the river bed and the venue buzzes with people. The venue can be reached on foot from Nagareyama Station and Heiwadai Station. There is also a free shuttle bus from Nagareyama Central Park Station on the Tsukuba Express Line.

Ichikawa City Noryo Fireworks is held jointly in Ichikawa city in Chiba prefecture and Edogawa ward in Tokyo. It is a firework display where as many as 14,000 fireworks are set off. The audience is treated to a wide array of fireworks, including a themed contest of light performances set to music, enormously bright star mines, and exhibition fireworks. Spectators are particularly captivated by the appearance of eight different types of themed firework.

Boasting over 1000 years of history, Yawatanmachi is seen as the biggest festival in Chiba prefecture's Awa region. Every year, crowds of spectators flock to the festival hoping to catch a glimpse of more than 10 portable shrines, festival cars, and boat floats from the surrounding shrines. All of the portable shrines come together at Tsurugaya Hachimangu Shrine on the evening of the final day. The sight of people shaking the portable shrines vigorously, over and over, is particularly intense. The festival is held in September, on the weekend before Respect for the Aged Day. In 2004, Yawatanmachi was designated an Intangible Cultural Property of Chiba prefecture, which seemed to make it all the livelier.

The Tokyo Game show is an annual video game expo held in September which highlights both Japanese and international game developers. Open to the general public for two days, the expo invites both established and emerging game designers to promote their new releases and announce upcoming innovations. It includes showcases, demo areas, merchandise booths, and a cosplay area. While video games are the major draw, games for PC and smart devices are also included in the lineup.

Every year, area residents come together for a fall festival on 9/23 and 9/24 that prays for a bumper crop and a large catch of fish. Sacred palanquins from eighteen shrines in the Ohara, Tokai, and Namiha area of Chiba Prefecture are hoisted by local men into the sea -- this remarkable event is called the "Shio-fumi." The finale of the festival is held at the Ohagara Elementary School playground, with the "Farewell Rite," where the palanquins are held high aloft and the deities are bid off until the next year, held here. The event has been held in Ohara for over 300 years and in Tokai for over 200.

Each year on the first Saturday of August, this fireworks show is held along the banks of the Edo River near Matsudo Station. From traditional fireworks to contemporary multi-stage knockouts, musical fireworks, and more, the combinations of light, color, and sound have been fully balanced by the expert fireworks masters in a show of 8,000 fireworks. The popular finale is a so-called "fireworks on earth," with a beautiful array of lights trickling down over the surface of the river. The local library is the site of the event and is just fifteen minutes on foot from the station. Lots of people party into the night.

A comprehensive event for users of Nico Nico Douga. A variety of projects jostle with the concept of "to reproduce (almost) all of Nico Nico Douga." In cosplay and games areas, stage discussions and live broadcasts by users, watching baseball games, projects in a variety of fields from entertainment to politics, to science and technology, exhibitors and visitors really come alive as one group. There is also product sales and a food court, you can also enjoy gourmet and shopping.