Just about an hour drive from Tokyo, Nagatoro is a beautiful town in the Chichibu district of Saitama prefecture.
Nagatoro is well known for the amazing river rapids of Arakawa river. It is a place where you can enjoy scenic views by riding downriver in a wooden Japanese boat (or in your own kayak, if you prefer). During summer, it is a go-to place for riverside camping, water sports, or riding the traditional wooden boat passing through the rapids. I’ll talk about the exciting river activities some other time.
Soba here is really good, especially their kurumi soba. Also, check out this tea store (茶夢) near the Kami-Nagatoro station. They specialize in tea drinks, and you can buy realy good tea leaves and artisan teapots in their store. To keep up with the changing times, they also curated cold tea drinks, and a special drink menu for the season. ITs really authentic and not the artifical flavor kind. Drop by if you have the chance.
Okay, this time, I will be sharing about this town’s summer festival that gathers a huge crowd every year. But because of the pandemic, this annual tradition has been put to a halt for the past 4 years, so everyone was extremely excited about this. This might also be the first time for some children to experience the festival.
The Funatama festival is held at the beautiful Iwadatami of Nagatoro, the famous gorge with stunning trees overlaying the rock terraces. Festive activities are held during the day, with a large boat full of lanterns called the Mantosen are set on the river. Unfortunately, this year, there was heavy rainfall that caused the water level to rise a few days before the event. For safety reasons, the Mantosen was set on the river side and was not let afloat downriver.
Taiko drums always bring an energetic atmosphere and of course had to be played in the festival. Children, men, and women all played their roles, taking turns in playing the drums and dancing throughout the afternoon. There are stalls all over the iwadatani area, serving drinks and food, while everyone patiently waits for sundown. Drinks are quite expensive, so I suggest bringing your own. As nightfall approaches, the lanterns on the Mantosen are lit one by one which glow beautifully during sunset.
This festival is thought to have started at the end of the Meiji period. During the festival, a sacred ceremony is held for the safety of workers on the river and is continued to this day. Lanterns are prepared in memory of the departed souls of loved ones and are released to float on the river.
After the ceremony, the celebration continues with an extravagant fireworks display. Locals and guests secure their spots to get a view of the fireworks. Taking photos of fireworks is so challenging! I cheated a bit with videos. Hopefully I can improve on it next time.lol
I hope to come back and secure an even better spot. Also, I wish to finally see the Mantosen set afloat on the river next year.
Author’s note: Christmas Post! Winter season is starting so I’ll be posting winter activities next! ^^