6 Events in Minamitsuru-gun That You Shouldn't Miss

The summer festival season at the Five Fuji Lakes kicks off with a festival at Lake Yamanaka, and the festival season comes to an end with the biggest of the festivals, the Lake Kawaguchi Kojosai. The festival takes place every year on August 4th and August 5th. On the 4th, the eve of the main festival, a dance stage and a small fireworks display using skyrockets are held, while on the next day a live concert by the lakeside is followed by the grand fireworks show. What with jumbo star mines, barrages of large ball fireworks, musical star mines, and more, between the two evenings a total of roughly 10,000 fireworks light up the summertime night sky.

"Fantasium" is a term coined from the words "fantasy" and "museum," and this event features an outdoor museum of art illumination that is set up for a limited time on the shore of Lake Yamanaka. Located in Hana-no-miyako Park, the museum exhibits a variety of works, and the glitter of the lighting art against the background of Mt. Fuji lends to the entire site a fantastical feeling. Fireworks are set off on occasions such as Christmas and New Year's, and a Christmas concert is also held here.

The Fuji Lake Kawaguchi Koyo Festival is held in autumn right when the foliage on Lake Kawaguchi turns a beautiful color. A range of stalls plying wares also appear around the venue. The must-see of the event is the "foliage tunnel," where sixty massive trees around the Nashigawa are illuminated at night. From dusk until 10:00 PM, this romantic light-up enchants visitors.

This event is held primarily in Yagizaki Park and Oishi Park on the shore of Lake Kawaguchi. From early June through mid-July, the lavender plants are in full bloom, creating a beautiful scene that looks as though the land is covered with a purple carpet. Particularly photogenic is the contrast between Mt. Fuji, Lake Kawaguchi, and the lavender blossoms as seen from Oishi Park. At Oishi Park, the primary venue for the festival, you can buy herb seedlings and herbal products and also enjoy light meals made using herbs.

The Fuji Shibazakura Festival, which started in 2008, is held at Motosuko Resort when the shibazakura plants are in bloom. Although there are famous spots for viewing shibazakura blossoms throughout Japan, Motosuko Resort is the only place where you can view shibazakura and Mt. Fuji together. The roughly 800,000 vivid shibazakura plants comprise the largest single expanse of shibazakura in the greater Tokyo area, and their pink, red, white, and purple blossoms, spread out like a carpet, create a beautiful landscape for your enjoyment.

The Yamanakako Fireworks Festival Hokosai is the very first of the fireworks shows that are held around the Five Fuji Lakes each year. Fireworks are set off from Yamanaka, Asahioka, and two more sites, so they can be enjoyed from any point along the lakeshore. Viewing the fireworks elegantly from a sightseeing boat on the lake is also popular. This fireworks festival traces its roots back to the Taisho period, when students would set off fireworks at the lake, and the firework event was later given the name "hokosai" by the distinguished writer Tokutomi Soho. Today, one purpose of the festival is to propitiate the souls of those who died in the line of duty and to offer up thanks to the lake.