Participated in the 2023 Aizu Festival! In-depth report from the site to the end of the Aizu Clan Lord Procession!

  • Fukushima
  • Experience Gifu
The Aizu Festival was held from September 22 (Fri.) to 24 (Sun.), 2023, at the main circle of Tsurugajo Castle, the symbol of Aizu Wakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, and Shinmei-dori, the main street of Aizu Wakamatsu City. This year, for the first time in four years, the festival was held as a regular event, and approximately 600 people gathered to parade in the Aizu Clan Lord Procession through the city of Aizuwakamatsu.

In the lantern parade held the day before, the lights of lanterns carried by children lit up the foot of Tsurugajo Castle in the evening, creating a truly fantastic atmosphere. At the same time, preparations for the Aizu Bandaiyama Dance were steadily underway on Shinmei Street. As the lantern procession comes to an end, it is the adults' turn to dance, dressed in happi coats and yukata.

This time, the editorial department of *and trip. arrived the day before the event to participate in the Aizu Han-no-Ko parade. Here are our impressions of dressing up as the Aigitai and the local scene on the day of the event (September 22 and 23)!

Take the Ban-Etsu-Nishi Line to Aizu-Wakamatsu Station! 1 hour and 30 minutes from the train window!

Transfer from Koriyama to Ban-Etsu-Nishi Line
Aizuwakamatsu Station platform
At Koriyama Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line, transfer to the Ban-Etsu-Nishi Line for Aizu-Wakamatsu Station. Since there is only one conventional train every hour, we recommend that those who wish to sit on a train should go to the platform of a conventional train immediately after arriving at the Shinkansen and board a train. 22nd, there were many tourists, probably due to the Aizu Festival. The editorial staff was also able to sit down safely with a suitcase in one hand and a PC in the other.
And from the train window of 1 hour and 30 minutes, you can see magnificent mountains and countryside scenery. It was a moment that soothed my daily fatigue. I hope you will also enjoy this restful train-window trip.

Where and when was the 2023 Aizu Festival held?

A scene from the departure ceremony
The main event of the 2023 Aizu Festival will be the procession of the Aizu domain lords to the main stage of Tsurugajo Castle from 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 23!
The parade will be led by 600 people dressed as feudal lords and warriors of the Aizu domain. Starting with a shout of "Ei-ei-o," the procession will depart on a 7.5-kilometer course starting and ending at Tsurugajo Castle, which has been returned to its normal route for the first time in four years!

If you want to know the beginning and outline of the Aizu Festival, click here.

Here is Aizu Wakamatsu Station and the day before the Aizu Festival!

Arrival at Aizu-Wakamatsu Station! Tourists visiting Japan are also here and there!

Aizuwakamatsu Station
When we arrived at Aizu-Wakamatsu Station, the ticket gates were filled with people, and we even saw a few visitors from overseas. There were also many people visiting the tourist information center, giving us a glimpse of the bustle of the Aizu Festival. The day before the festival, people and the city feel excited.

The day before the Aizu Festival [September 22nd, lantern parade].

Assembly at Tsurugajo Castle Lantern parade
With lanterns in hand, children get excited!
Passing the baton to the adults at the goal!
The Aizu Festival gets into full swing the day before the festival, and the lantern procession that began at 6:00 p.m. on the 22nd was the event that heralded the opening of the Aizu Festival.
This event, which began in 1928 to celebrate the marriage of Princess Seizuko Chichibu, is attended by children's groups from the city, who parade through the streets with their wishes woven into the twirling lanterns.

The day before the Aizu Festival [September 22nd, Aizu Bandaiyama Dance].

Aizu Bandaisan Dance
Adults in happi coats
Dancing in a circle
Then comes the Aizu Bandaisan Odori dance, which starts at 19:00. This event is led by adults, who set up a turret on Shinmei-dori Street, the downtown area of Aizu Wakamatsu City. The voltage of the Aizu Festival is at an all-time high with the traditional round dance to the lyrics of the folk song "Eeyore Aizu Bandaisan wa~"!

Let's go! Set out for the festival! 600 Aizu feudal lord's procession from Tsurugajo Castle to the city center

Are you looking forward to seeing which team you will be a part of? Arriving at the venue to change clothes

Costumes to change into
Leave it to the experts
On the day of the festival, we will gather at 8:20 a.m. at the changing area near Tsurugajo Castle. One of the attractions of the festival is that you don't know which troop you will be armed with until the day of the festival. When you go there, you will find a splendid outfit. The armor was moderately heavy and had a sense of dignity and dignity as if it were the real thing. At the changing area, about 50 participants from each region were all there.
We will do our best with Fukushima on our shoulders!
When I was surprised at the unexpected costumes, the costume maker in charge of dressing them asked the women to move out after changing their socks. The scene was filled with a sense of elation and tension as we prepared for the departure ceremony.
Waiting for the start of the procession
After changing, we headed for the venue of the departure ceremony, the main citadel of Tsurugajo Castle. Before I knew it, I felt like a military commander. Our backs were straight, and we were walking with our legs stiffly and stoutly as if we were warriors. It takes about 5 minutes to get to the main citadel of Tsurugajo Castle, but there is a full lineup of Aizu-related troops waiting for the 9:30 a.m. departure ceremony, including the Suzaku and Seiryu troops, the Shinsengumi, and others.

The Aizu Festival is more fun to come and wear than to see!

According to one of our employees who participated in the Aizu Hanratsugyo this time, the Aizu Festival is "more fun to come to Fukushima and wear the armament than to watch it. I was hesitant at first to wear armament, but when I did, I felt like a warlord. It was a feeling they could not normally experience, and they seemed to enjoy it very much. As mentioned at the end of the article, he felt more than seeing it because the entire town was closed to traffic and it was difficult for him to move around.

Cheering "Good luck! is a source of emotional support!

Aizu clan lord's parade
When walking in the Aizu domain lord procession, the streets along the route were filled with many people, from grandparents to elementary school children. Walking as a military commander in the procession, my legs gradually stiffened and began to tire due to the weight of my costume and my lack of usual physical strength.
Cheering gives us strength!
Then, "We're almost there! Cool! That's awesome! I can hear the voices of "Go for it! Thanks to these cheers, I was able to walk all the way to the end, and I could feel that the locals are very attached to this festival as I participated in it.

The day of the festival! Just know this! The city will be blocked off!

Traffic regulations from the day before. I can't move...

Akabee
One-day pass
The employees of *and trip. editorial department arrived the day before the festival to participate in the procession of the Aizu domain lords. They were at the mercy of traffic regulations. Here are some of the things they were baptized with on the day of the festival.

When I purchased a one-day pass to ride the "Akabee Hiikara-san," which tours tourist attractions in Aizu Wakamatsu, the sales clerk asked me, "Do you plan to ride after 5:00 p.m.? Be careful, because regulations will be enforced from 5:00 p.m.". At the time, I thought nothing more than, "Oh, I see...there will be restrictions..." At the time, he thought it was nothing more than "Oh, I see...there are going to be restrictions.

We arrived at the Akabetsu stop. While thinking about the scenery of Aizuwakamatsu, which was his first visit, he waited for the bus for 15 minutes, but there was no bus at all.

After that, no bus was to be seen no matter how long we waited, and the sun was setting. At that moment, the words of the bus salesman suddenly came to mind.
That's right. The buses were forced to make a detour due to traffic restrictions, and the bus stop was delayed.

But the traffic restrictions had more than just this effect.

Employees arriving at Tsurugajo to watch the lantern procession. After the lantern procession was over, the employees left Tsurugajo and headed for Aizuwakamatsu Station...
The grounds of Tsurugajo are vast and have many entrances and exits. Due to the dark environment after the sunset, the employees lost the way they came and took an unfamiliar exit.
The employee decided to take a cab to the station. When he called the cab company, they told him that he could not go, and when he asked for help from the security guard who was regulating the traffic, he was told that walking would be the closest way.

The employee, who had underestimated the traffic restrictions, was very sorry and managed to reach the station with his smartphone, which was about to run out of charge, in his pocket with a map in his hand.

This year, the traffic restrictions began at 5:00 p.m., so the best time to visit Aizu Wakamatsu is in the morning! The key is to spend the evening around Shinmei Street, where you can see both festivals. Please visit the Aizu Festival, which is worth seeing and visiting.

For those who want to enjoy sightseeing in an easy and efficient way, here is a rental bicycle.

Even with the struggles of our employees, festival regulations are always unexpected. We have to think beforehand about the extent of traffic restrictions and how to move around.

Here is what we recommend. Most of the sightseeing spots in Aizu Wakamatsu can be reached by renting a bicycle from Aizu Wakamatsu Station. If you go along the paths, you may be able to find hidden spots that are not listed in the guidebooks. There are only a small number of bicycles available, so it is better to contact the station in advance in case you cannot rent a bicycle on the day of your visit.
Let's enjoy sightseeing in Aizu Wakamatsu efficiently with rental bicycles, which are free from traffic jams and restrictions!

Please note that the bicycle rental service is not available during the winter season from December to March.
Photos used in this page are taken from Tohoku Tourism Promotion Organization, Aizu Wakamatsu Tourism Bureau, and Aizu Wakamatsu City Hall.
For train + accommodation "Fukushima area" reservations, please visit 【JR East View Dynamic Rail Package】
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