Shizmada City | SHIZUOKA GOURMET

There are many known and not so known reasons to keep an attentive eye on the City of Shimada in Shizuoka prefecture, the more for it with the noticeable increase in foreign tourists thanks to the increasingly busy Fujisan Shizuoka Aiport in The same City of Shimada!

Tourists disembarking from the Airport should spare a minute to look at a big billboard outside Shimada Railway Station as it is written in no less than three languages, English, Chinese and Korean, depicting the three major festivals held in this City!

The Shimada Taisei (Obi Festival)!

This Festival has been held since 1695 and is one of the so-called three strangest Festivals in japan!
It is being held every years!

Photo taken on 1th of October 2013!

The big attraction of course is the parade held with the 25 “Oyakko” dressed in attire of yore carrying umbrellas and long wooden swords draped with expensive traditional cloth!

But there is still more to watch, especially the “floats fights” and the children dances!
For complete reports consult HERE (1), HERE (2), HERE (3), HERE (4), HERE (5), HERE (6), and HERE (7)!

The last Shimada Taisei (Obi Festival) was held in 2013, and will be held in 2016 and 2019 (Rugby World Cup Year which will include venues in Shizuoka Prefecture!)!

The second big festival is the “Kanaya Tea Festival!

Kanaya used to be a city of its own before it was recently merged with Shimada City, but it has preserved its own true identity.
Every two years no less than 1,000 “Tea Gilrs/Cha Musume” of all ages and status parade along the main street to celebrate the budding of the tea leaves every two years in the second week of April!

Photo taken on the 13th of April 2014!

Actually almost the whole population of Kanaya is taking part!
But there are many more opportunities for great pictures and videos!

Even young schoolgirls beating the drums like men!

The kanaya Tea Festival will be next held in 2016, 2018 and 2020 (the Year of the Tokyo Olympics!)!
For full report consult HERE (1), HERE (2), HERE (3), HERE (4) and HERE (5)!

The third big festival is the Shimada Mage Matsuri (Women Topknot Festival)!

It is a festival held to commemorate the creation of a lady topknot worn all over Japan said to be created by Tora Gozen, a courtesan native of Shimada!

Photo taken on the 21st of September 2014!

On the third weekend of September 50 girls and ladies parade all around Shimada City with their hair/topknot done in the traditional Japanese fashion!