Japan’s Shikoku Night Festival Countdown: Kagawa Takamatsu Fireworks Await You This Passionate Summer Night

Text provided by Qidou Travel Network | Photos by Xiangsheng Travel

Japan’s most traditional summer festival takes place in Shikoku, featuring energetic dances and dazzling nighttime fireworks. This nationwide craze has made Shikoku incredibly popular and attracts countless foreign visitors. This year’s festival is heating up—don’t miss out on the excitement ahead of time.

One of the must-see events among Shikoku’s festivals is the Sanuki Takamatsu Fireworks Festival, held annually from August 12 to 14 in Takamatsu City. It’s the highlight of the summer festivities in Kagawa Prefecture, and the fireworks display on the second day always draws significant attention. In 2017, marking the 52nd edition of the Sanuki Takamatsu Fireworks Festival, over 10,000 fireworks are expected to light up the Seto Inland Sea with explosive brilliance. During the fireworks event, tens of thousands of spectators gather to enjoy the show. Xiangsheng Travel’s local tours offer a unique experience aboard a fireworks cruise, allowing you to admire the spectacular display from the sea while enjoying the cool summer night breeze—no need to jostle with the crowds onshore for a good view.

Another highlight of Shikoku’s summer night festivals is the Kochi Yosakoi Festival. The origins of Yosakoi date back over 50 years when Kochi Prefecture created this dance event in response to Tokushima Prefecture’s Awa Odori Festival. Participants in the Yosakoi parade dance energetically while playing small wooden clappers called “naruko.” With their vibrant costumes, lively movements, bright smiles, and sweat-drenched enthusiasm, performers infect the audience with their energy, often inspiring bystanders to join in. The Yosakoi Festival brings joy and liveliness to Kochi’s midsummer nights.

“Awa Odori” is a traditional performing art from Tokushima Prefecture in Shikoku, with a history of about 400 years. “Awa” is the old name for Tokushima, and its long history has given rise to Awa indigo dyeing, Awa sake, and Awa Odori, forming the unique “Awa culture” we know today.

The traditional Awa Odori song goes: “The dancers are fools, and those who watch without dancing are fools too—might as well dance, because being a fool is more fun!” Since everyone’s a fool anyway, the lively festival atmosphere makes it hard not to want to join in. Before you know it, you’ll find yourself swept up in the dancing crowds. The moves of Awa Odori are simple and brisk: first, move your arms and legs in sync; second, dance on your tiptoes; third, keep to a two-beat rhythm; fourth, dance with joy. The Awa Odori Festival is a major annual event in Japan, drawing countless tourists each year. Over the course of just four days, people of all ages form circles large and small, dancing passionately to the Awa rhythm—like a Japanese version of Brazil’s Carnival. How could you not come and experience it for yourself?

Dogo Onsen, with its 3,000-year-old hot springs, is located in Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku. August is the busiest month at Dogo Onsen, with various performances held every evening at “Shonen Plaza,” kicking off the festive atmosphere of Shikoku’s summer festival tour. You shouldn’t miss the chance to put on a yukata, wear geta sandals, carry a small bamboo basket, and join the lively crowd at the mechanical clock. Soak your feet in the foot bath, wait for the hourly chime, and listen as melodious music plays while the mechanical clock slowly rises. The layered tower unfolds gradually, telling the history and legacy of Dogo Onsen. When night falls, the main building of Dogo Onsen resembles the bathhouse from Studio Ghibli’s animated film *Spirited Away*, with its classic, ornate Japanese architecture that makes you feel as though you’ve traveled back in time.

An unmissable summer night festival awaits you each year—join in the excitement and passionate celebration!!

More related information
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