Chiba Nanohana News (February 2019)

 Index

　I.News       II . Festivals and Events　　　 III.Exhibitions, Concerts, etc.

 I.News

 1) Kamogawa Sea World to Hold Complimentary Discount Campaign for Foreign Nationals!

Kamogawa Sea World is Holding a Complementary Discount Campaign for Foreign Nationals during February! Visitors presenting a non-Japanese passport will receive a 50% discount on their admission fees.

The concept behind Kamogawa Sea World, one of Japan’s leading aquariums, is “encountering the ocean world.” Located right on the majestic Pacific Ocean, the facility lets visitors enjoy learning about sea life while experiencing its

importance and the wonder of interacting with it. In addition to performances by killer whales, frequently called “the kings of the sea,” belugas, dolphins and sea lions, visitors can come into contact with 11,000 river and marine creatures representing 800 species through exhibits recreating their natural environments.

Please take this chance to visit at half price and enjoy the many unique attractions that can only be experienced at Kamogawa Sea World, including an internationally uncommon killer whale performance and the lunch at the only restaurant in Japan that lets visitors view killer whales while dining.

• Campaign period: Friday, February 1 - Thursday, February 28
• Discount conditions: Must present non-Japanese passport
  ※Only one discount per passport.
  ※Foreign nationals residing in Japan are also eligible.
• Discount admission fees: Adults (including high school students) 1,400 yen (normally 2,800 yen)
  Children (age 4 -junior high school students) 700 yen (normally 1,400 yen)
  ※All prices include sales tax.
  ※Children under age 3 and under admitted free.
• Location: Kamogawa Sea World/1464-18 Higashi-cho, Kamogawa City
• Access: 10 minutes by free shuttle bus from Awa-Kamogawa station on the JR Sotobo line
• Inquiries:　TEL 04-7093-4803
• URL: http://www.kamogawa-seaworld.jp/english/( External link )

 II.  Festivals and Events 

 1) Warabi Naked Festival (Yotsukaido City) 

The Warabi Naked Festival, held on the 25^th of February every year, is also known by a different name, the “Mud Festival”. Events such as “Exorcism of the Naked”, “Children’s Blessing”, “Mud Throwing”, and “Cavalry Battles” will be held, and as the names suggest, the participants will become drenched in mud.

Not only the men in loincloth will be covered in mud, but the mud tends to fly to the spectator’s area as well, so please exercise caution.

Also, it is said that if you rub mud from the shrine’s rice field on the forehead of a 1 year or younger baby, they will grow up healthy without getting sick.

• Date and time: Monday, February 25, 13:00-15:00
• Location: Mimusubi Shrine/692 Warabi, Yotsukaido City
• Warabigaoka Park/192-23 Warabi Yotsukaido City (Directly next to the Mimusubi Shrine)
• Access: 15 minutes on foot from the South Exit of Yotsukaido Station on the JR Sobu Line
• Inquiries: Yotsukaido City Industry Promotion Division TEL 043-421-6134

 2) Yoritomo Sakura Festival (Kyonan Town) 

Minamoto no Yoritomo lost the battle of Ishibashiyama and fled to Awa’s Ryushima by small boat (currently known as Kyonan Town) to plan his comeback. The “Kawazu Zakura” were renamed to “Yoritomo Sakura” in honor of this historical fact, and the town is currently aiming to be Japan’s #1 Sakura viewing location, actively continuing to plant new trees.

Currently, there are 14,000 Yoritomo Sakura trees planted within the town, with 600 trees along the Hota River, 400 at the Sakuma Dam Park, and 400 along the Sakuma River.

The “Hota River Yoritomo Sakura Bamboo Lantern Festival” will be held on Saturday, March 2  from 15:00 to 20:00, lighting up the Sakura. You don’t want to miss the otherworldly sight of the Sakura being lit up with over 2000 candles from handmade bamboo lanterns.

<Hota River Yoritomo Sakura Bamboo Lantern Festival>

• -Date and time: Saturday, March 2, 15:00-20:00 *moved to next day in the event of bad weather
  ※lighting ceremony from 17:00
• -Location: Hota River, near the Gongen/Tenno Bridges

 <Yoritomo Sakura Festival>

• Time period: Saturday, February 16-Sunday, March 10
• Location: Hota River, Sakuma Dam Park/39 Okuzure, Kyonan Town
• Access: Hota River: 10 minutes on foot from the Hota Station on the JR Uchibo Line
  3 minutes after turning left off of Prefecture Highway 34 off of Futtsu Tateyama Road Kyonan Hota Interchange (Parking lot available)
  Sakuma Dam Park: 30 minutes on the town bus departing from Awa-Katsuyama Station on the JR Uchibo Line, getting off at the “Sakuma Dam Koen Iriguchi” stop
  10 minutes after turning left at the light off of the Futtsu Tateyama Road Kyonan Tomiyama Interchange (Parking lot available)
• Inquiries: Kyonan Town Tourism Association (Tourism Center directly in front of Hota Station) TEL 0470-55-1683
  Kyonan Town Regional Development Division Town Planning Group TEL 0470-55-1560   

 3) Katsuura Big Hina Doll Festival/Tomisaki Shrine (Katsuura City)

Over 30,000 hina dolls will be displayed all around Katsuura City in celebration of the hina-matsuri, or Girl’s Festival. Hina dolls will decorate the 60 stone steps of Tomisaki Shrine, and the area will be illuminated in the evenings. This event first originated from efforts to hold the “Big Hina Doll Festival” (originally held in Katsuura Town in Tokushima Prefecture) in eastern Japan. Chiba’s Katsuura City has adopted 7,000 hina dolls from Katsuura Town in Tokushima.

There will be a hina doll parade featuring children in hina doll costumes, as well as a dance parade, and much more!

<Display Locations>

• 1) Tomisaki Shrine
  1,800 hina dolls will line the shrine’s 60 stone steps. Every day of the festival, volunteers will put the dolls out for display and then put them away at night. (Events will be canceled in case of bad weather.)
• 2) Katsuura central shopping area
  Here in the central shopping area located next to Tomisaki Shrine, you can find special platforms displaying the dolls, unique displays at each of the stores, and doll decorating workshops in vacant store lots. There will also be special hina doll exhibits at the Kakuoji Temple gates and Tona intersection.
• 3) Katsuura Art and Culture Center “Kuste”
  The largest kyoho-bina dolls in Japan will be displayed at the Katsuura Art and Culture Center Kuste (pronounced “kyuste”). The Emperor and Empress dolls measure 120 cm tall.

• 4) Other displays
  Dolls will also be displayed at Okitsu Assembly Hall, Ueno Assembly Hall, Fusano Assembly Hall, tourist facilities, financial institutions, and other locations.

• Date: Friday, February 22 – Sunday, March 3
• Place: Tomisaki Shrine, 1 Hama-Katsuura, Katsuura City
• Access: 10 minutes on foot from Katsuura Station on the JR Sotobo Line
• Inquiries: Big Hina Doll Festival Planning Committee (Katsuura City Tourism and Commerce Division) TEL 0470-73-6641 

 4) Chiba Prefecture's Selected Traditional Crafts Exhibition (Chiba City)

Born and fostered among the winds of Chiba’s history, traditional crafts made with the technology and methods passed down from old times will be sold and displayed, and demonstrations from the usually invisible craftsmen as well as make-your-own-craft experiences will also be available.

Crafts including traditional cutlery from Narita City, dragonfly beads from Chiba City, and the Gyotoku Portable Shrine from Ichikawa City will be on display, among others.

<Make-your-own-craft experiences>

-Yuzen kimono dyeing
-Armor strap creation (celebratory dolls)

• Date and time: Thursday, February 7 - Monday, February 11, (Holiday) 10:00-18:00 (until 17:00 on the last day)
• Location: Aeon Mall Makuhari Shintoshin, Grand Mall 1^st Floor, Grand Court
• Admission: Free
• Access: 5 minutes by bus from Kaihin-Makuhari Station on the JR Keiyo Line
• Inquiries: Chiba Prefecture Selected Traditional Crafts Association TEL 047-472-3431

 5) Narita Plum Festival/Naritasan Park (Narita City)   

Enjoy the outdoors as you spread out over the vast 165,000m² park behind the Great Main Hall of Narita Shinshoji Temple. Naritasan Park boasts of having a color for each season with its many varieties of plum blossoms, cherry blossoms, and maple trees.

In the Japanese garden, there are approximately 500 white and red plum trees with an average age of over 70 years old. Many of these plum trees have aged gracefully and the sight of the delicate blossoms delight temple visitors.

On weekends during the Plum Festival, there will be poetry contests, live music, and tea ceremony, as well as free amazake (sweet sake) to welcome visitors.

• Date: Saturday, February 16 - Sunday, March 3 (events held on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 to 15:00)
• Place: Naritasan Park/1 Narita, Narita City
• Access: 15 minutes on foot to Naritasan Shinshoji Temple from Narita Station (JR Narita Line) or Keisei Narita Station (Keisei Line)
• Inquiries: Narita City Tourism Association TEL 0476-22-2102
• URL: http://www.nrtk.jp/( External link )

 6) Urayasu Yakatabune (Japanese Style House Boat) Ride (Urayasu City)    

“Yakatabune”, A traditional Japanese style house boat, to be enjoyed by two or more customers will be setting sail. Why not come and experience the extraordinary world of house boats?

You will be able to enjoy the night views of Urayasu while dining on tempura and sashimi. (Soft drinks, alcohol all-you-can-drink).

• - Please register from the Urayasu Tourism Convention Association website. https://www.urayasu-kankou.jp/( External link )
• - Registration will generally be cut off two weeks before the planned event date. Whether the event will be held according to plan or not will be sent to the customer in a personal message.
• - Meeting/Split-up locations vary by date. The boats are planned to depart from/dock at various locations belonging to the Urayasu Fishing Vessel Cooperative Association (Urayasu City Todaijima, Nekozane, Horie along the Kyu-Edogawa River).
• - There is no car or bicycle parking lot, so please use public transportation.  
• Dates and times: Saturday, February 9, Saturday, February 23, Saturday, March 2, Thursday, March 21 (Holiday), 19:00 - 21:30 
  ※40 patrons on a first-come-first-serve basis/Event canceled in the event of less than 10 registrations
• Location: Under Urayasu Bridge – off the coast of Urayasu (along Tokyo Bay)
• Admission: Adults 10,800 yen, children (elementary school) 5,400 yen, infants (food not provided) 2,160 yen
• Inquiries: Urayasu Tourism Convention Association TEL 047-350-7555
• E-mail：info@urayasu-kankou.jp

 III. Exhibitions, Concerts, etc.

 1) Spring Exhibition: 150 years of Meiji "Chiba Railroad Tailes: Watch, Live, Transport Made Possible by the Railroad" (Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba City)

 

The first time a railroad passed through Chiba was in the 27^th year of the Meiji Period (1894). As Chiba Prefecture was now connected by railroad to the capital city, it cultivated peoples’ vigor is a different ways: either as an easily accessible tourist spot, or as a bed town. In this exhibition, the mysteries surrounding Chiba’s railroad will be unraveled.

Time period/Exhibition location: Saturday, February 23 - Sunday, June 2/Special Exhibition Room

• Admission: General 300 yen (240 yen), High school/College students 150 yen (120 yen) *Prices in parentheses prices for groups with 20 or more members
  ※Middle school age and below/aged 65 and above/disabled persons and 1 caretaker: Free admission
• Museum Location: 955-2 Aobacho, Chuo-ku, Chiba City (inside of Aobanomori Park)
• Access: 15 minutes on regularly departing bus from either Chiba Station or Soga Station on the JR Lines, or 20 minutes on foot from Chibadera Station on the Keisei Line
• URL: http://www2.chiba-muse.or.jp/NATURAL/( External link )
• Inquiries: Chiba Natural History Museum and Institute TEL 043-265-3111

 2) Special Exhibit: Ikuo Hirayama, the Diamond which Started Shining (Kashiwa City) 

The superstar of nihonga, Ikuo Hirayama’s works will be on display.

Revolving around the Silk Road, the theme of the artist's life, this exhibit will display works showing scenes from his travels in his 20s and 30s, including previously private ones.

Private works, which have been dubbed as the starting point of the artist’s career, will be displayed only in Kashiwa. The artist’s most famous works from later in his life will be displayed alongside works from his youth from the time he started to shine as an artist.

• Date and time: Saturday, February 16 - Thursday, February 28 10:00-20:00 (entry into the museum until 19:30)
• Location: Kashiwa Citizen’s Gallery/1-7-1-301 Kashiwa, Kashiwa City inside of Palette Kashiwa
• Admission: General Admission 500 yen (Middle school and below free) (Persons with disability certificate and 1 caretaker free)
• Access: 3 minutes on foot from the south exit of Kashiwa Station on the JR Joban Line/Tobu Urban Park Line
  ※There is no parking lot, so you are advised to use public transportation.
• Inquiries: Kashiwa City Board of Education Culture Division TEL 04-7191-7403

 

HOME 　Back to top　 I.News     II.Festivals and Events      III.Exhibitions, Concerts, etc.