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Experience Chichibu’s Silk Heritage and Night Festival
Chichibu, historically a center of sericulture and silk weaving, hosted grand yatai float parades during the Night Festival to attract silk merchants, earning it the affectionate nickname "The Silkworm Festival." Held annually on December 2nd and 3rd for over 300 years, this festival celebrates the region's rich traditions.
This tour offers a visit to the Chichibu Meisen Museum, where you can enjoy live silk-spinning demonstrations and participate in a coaster-making workshop. You will also explore the Chichibu Matsuri Kaikan, where lavish yatai floats and kasaboko are displayed year-round, capturing the spirit of the Night Festival.
Additionally, the tour includes a stop at Chichibu Shrine, one of Japan’s oldest shrines with over 2,100 years of history, renowned for its stunning architecture and intricate carvings.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
Please look for a guide holding a board that says "Chichibu Meisen Museum and Chichibu Festival Hall" at the ticket gate exit of Seibu-Chichibu Station.
The tour will conclude with the final stop at Chichibu Shrine, where we will part ways. After disbanding, you are free to enjoy strolling around the town at your leisure.
Itinerary
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1
We will visit the Chichibu Meisen Museum, which showcases kimono that became popular in Japan as casual and stylish clothing about 100 to 130 years ago. Participants will also experience making coasters.
1 hour • Admission ticket included -
(Pass by)
We will guide you to the slope where the floats are pulled up during the climax of the Chichibu Night Festival.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
We will guide you along 'Banba Street,' the stone-paved approach to Chichibu Shrine. This street is lined with numerous modern buildings constructed during the late Taisho to early Showa period, about 100 years ago.
Admission ticket free -
2
The Chichibu Night Festival is known as one of Japan's three great float festivals, alongside the Gion Festival in Kyoto and the Takayama Festival in Hida. It is a representative Japanese festival with a history spanning over 300 years. Held every December, the Chichibu Night Festival is a magnificent and dynamic event featuring splendidly adorned floats and fireworks as its highlights. It is also registered as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. The 'Chichibu Festival Hall' is a place where you can experience the charm of the Chichibu Night Festival at any time. You can view the elaborately crafted kasahoko floats and decorative floats on display. Additionally, projection mapping provides a virtual experience of the float procession and the lively atmosphere of the festival, immersing you in its sights and sounds.
30 minutes • Admission ticket included -
(Pass by)
We will guide you along a street that once housed numerous wholesalers of Chichibu Meisen. Retaining the atmosphere of the early Showa period, this street is lined with valuable commercial buildings designated as Registered Tangible Cultural Properties by the Japanese government.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Like Kuromon Street, we will guide you through Kaitsuisho Street, which is also lined with buildings related to Chichibu Meisen.
Admission ticket free -
3
We will explore buildings and storehouses of Meisen wholesalers that thrived 100 to 120 years ago.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
4
Believed to have been founded over 2,100 years ago, this shrine is renowned for its sacred atmosphere and exquisite carvings. It serves as the focal point of the Chichibu Night Festival and symbolizes the region's culture and faith. The carvings adorning the main hall were created by Hidari Jingorō, a renowned craftsman of the Edo period. Visitors can admire unique and auspicious carvings such as the 'Linked Dragon,' the 'Tigers of Fertility and Marital Harmony,' and the 'Energetic Three Monkeys,' which are engraved on various sides of the shrine. You can also enjoy drawing fortune slips (omikuji) made of silk cocoons or using water for a special experience.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Rating
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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