Tenryukyo Flower Festival (Iida Spring Tourism Festival)

Date:
Annually, third Sunday of April

Location:
Parking lot in front of Farm Produces Market Store, Azarea (Tenryukyo Development Center)

Lineup:
Tenryukyo Dod dragon dance, Kids parade, Brass band ensemble by elementary and junior high schools students, Performance by Imada Puppet, Treasure throwing and other Tenryukyo contents.

Remarks:
Marathon event is hosted in the morning of the festival

God dragon dance (Parade through the community)

Food stand

Food stand

Performance by Imada Puppet (Local elementary and junior high school students)

Kids parade

A half relay marathon competition

Tenryukyo Dance

Date:
Annually, first Saturday of September

Location:
Koya Bridge

Lineup:
Children’s fair, Tenryukyo fair, Dance learning plan, Live performances of traditional tune and Tenryu Kouta (short song) Dance.

Dancing circle spread out on the Koya bridge

Dancing girls wearing yukata

Children’s fair

Target shooting at Children’s fair

Firework show over the gorge

Tenryukyo marché

Date:
Annually, fourth Sunday of October

Location:
Between Tenryukyo Central Parking and Information Center Parking lot

Lineup:
Tent Market (Sales of fresh farm produce), Craft Fair, Miniature Steam Locomotive ride, Live band and festival, Aozora Gallery (Blue sky Gallery)

Miniature Steam Locomotive ride

Craft Fair

Band Ensemble

Tent Market

Iida Tokimata Lantern Floating Festival (Iida Tokimata Toro-Nagashi Festival)

In July of 1937, first “Noryo” firework show (in the cool evening of summer) was hosted. Since then, the firework show hosts together with lantern floating festival hosted during the “Niibon memorial festival” (the first-year celebration for family members who has passed away, and the souls of the dead are able to return home) which started at the beginning of Show-era. The contrast of lanterns flowing on the surface of Tenryu River and magnificent fireworks is astonishing.

Festival host on August 16th every year and established as one of three major festivals of Iida. The venue takes place in Tokimata, Iida-city, 5 minutes walk from Tokimata station of JR Iida line. (2 stops from Tenryukyo station bound for Iida.)

Imada Puppet

East of Tenryukyo is Tatsue District, well famous even to present day for “Imada Puppet.” It traces the origin to 1704, in the middle of Edo-era. Out of all dated known puppet theatrical, Imada Puppet is the oldest one in this Ina valley.

A Japanese puppet drama called “Ningyo Jouuri” was first performed to cheerfully
celebrate the festival of local Shinto god,“Omiya Hachimangu Shrine.” Nowadays, local preservation society keeps the tradition going and passes it down to next generations. “Imada Puppet” is also awarded as the national selection of intangible folk cultural properties.

Every mid-October, puppet theatrical is performed as an offering of Autumn season. Well as performances are held for Iida Puppet Festival in August.

Tenryukyo Dod dragon dance

It began when local history researcher Takeshi Makiuchi suggested from the ancient legend of “When a giant dragon lives deep down in the Tenryukyo soars high up into the sky, it invites many fortunes.” Every April, during the spring tourism festival, such as “Tenryukyo Flower Festival,” local youth from Kawaji 7th districts offers a dance calling for fortunes from the dragon which are pass down from generations.

A dragon is 10 meters long, and it takes a team of ten to handles it. Total of 30 men and women, making three teams takes a turn to dance. Preservation society has a total of 70 members, with about 20 percent of members from outside the Kawaji 7th district. Most of them are junior high to high school students and 30 to 40 years old young aged members. Together they perform dances at a various festival in local areas. Gallant and spirited dance is a must-see performance.

Tenryukyo Yae-Sakura Road (Charleville-Mézières street)

In 1998, 200 Yaezakura trees were planted onto a newly established 2km road along the Tenryu River. Ten different kinds of Yaezakura were planted, including Kanzansakura and Eigenjizakura. Local sakura enthusiasts and volunteers maintain sakura trees. On the 10th Anniversary of the plantation in 2007 and since then, during the blooming of sakura trees in mid-April, trees light up during the night. Well as Sakura Festival is hosted every year on 4th Sunday of April.

In 2017, on the 30th year anniversary of relation as friendship city between Iida-city and Charleville-Mézières, France, through puppet performances, sakura road was labeled as “Charleville-Mézières street.” The Yaezakura road is rare throughout the country. 2km of sakura trees light up brings mystical scenes to enjoy the evening.