[2024 event information] One of Tohoku's six major festivals! The biggest waraji in Japan! Fukushima Waraji Festival

The Fukushima Waraji Festival will be held again this year for three days from Friday, August 2nd to Sunday, August 4th! This festival, which is one of the six major festivals in Tohoku and has long been loved as a place of relaxation for the locals, is a special event for the locals!

In this article, we will introduce information about the Fukushima Waraji Festival in 2024

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Fukushima Waraji Festival 2024 Schedule

This year's event will be held from the first Friday to Sunday in August, just like every year

The main festival will be held on the 2nd and 3rd, with the main venue being National Route 13 (Shinobu Street), but on the third day, August 4th, a large straw sandal will be dedicated to Haguro Shrine on Mount Shinobu, so the venue will be at Haguro Shrine on Mount Shinobu only on the third day

Friday, August 2nd, 18:30-21:00 (scheduled)

• Venue: National Route 13 , Shinobu Street ( section from the intersection in front of Axe to the intersection in front of Fukushin Main Store)
• Purification ceremony
• Waraji Dance
• Large Waraji Parade
• Creative Waraji Parade

Saturday, August 3rd, 18:30-20:00 (scheduled)

• Venue: National Route 13 , Shinobu Street ( section from the intersection in front of Axe to the intersection in front of Fukushin Main Store)
• Waraji Dance
• Large Waraji Parade
• Creative Waraji Parade
• Fukushima Waraji Tug of War

August 4th (Sunday) 9:30am (scheduled)

• Venue: Mount Shinobu, Haguro Shrine
• Dedication of large straw sandalsWe
  will dedicate large straw sandals to Haguro Shrine on Mt. Shinobu.

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Fukushima Waraji Festival <Information>

• Name: 55th Fukushima Waraji Festival
• Location: Fukushima City Center, National Route 13 (Shinobu Street)
• Official URL: https://www.waraji.co.jp/

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Paid viewing seats will be available from the 55th Fukushima Waraji Festival!

As a new initiative, the 55th Fukushima Waraji Festival will offer paid seating

If you want to enjoy the show with plenty of space to spare, this is definitely something you should consider. The S seats are commonly known as "straw-covered seats," and are special seats where you can see the giant straw sandal spinning right in front of you

Price and number of seats

• [SS seats – AXC Building 2nd floor deck] 18,000 yen / 1 table (4 people) *Includes Fukushima City specialties (F-BOX)
• [S seats – National Route 13] 14,000 yen / 1 table (4 people)
• [Seat A – National Route 13] 3,000 yen/person
• [Seat B – National Route 13] 2,000 yen/person
• [C Seats – National Route 13] 1,000 yen/person
• Wheelchair: Free (first come, first served on the day)

How to purchase

1. Purchase online at
   Fukushima Waraji Festival Online Tickets (link to external site) (Service hours: 5:00 AM - 2:00 AM the next day)
2. Purchases made using the in-store multi-copy machine
   Family Mart (service hours: 5:00 AM to 2:00 AM the next day)
   Seven-Eleven (service hours: 24 hours)
3. Purchase by phone reservation
   CN Play Guide (service hours: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM)
   Phone number: 0570-08-9999 (operator response)

• Doors open: 6:00 PM on the day of the event (all seats are unreserved)

Paid seating inquiries

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• Fukushima Festival Steering Committee (Commerce and Industry Promotion Division)
• Phone number: 024-525-3720 (Hours of operation: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on weekdays)
• Official URL: https://www.waraji.co.jp/

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Come dance in the Waraji Dance free participation slot!

As with last year, the Fukushima Waraji Festival will have an "open participation slot" where anyone can join in the dancing

Applications will be accepted until the maximum capacity of 100 people is reached

Waraji Dance Free Participation Slot Application Guidelines

• We are looking for small groups of participants, such as individuals, families, or friends, rather than organizations or companies
• It's OK if you're not confident in your choreography. On the day, official dancers from the Executive Committee (Maiza-gumi members) will dance with you
• The total number of participants is limited to 100 (registration will close once capacity is reached)
• The dance will begin at 6:40pm on Saturday, August 3rd, and will cover a course of approximately 400m in 20 to 25 minutes
• The reception location (meeting place) on the day will be in front of the Fukushima Shinkin Bank head office , and reception hours will be from 5:50pm to 6:15pm.
• The participation fee of 200 yen per person will be collected at the reception on the day
• Please come dressed to dance from the reception. Please note that there are no changing rooms or luggage storage facilities, so please bring your own
• Drinking alcohol while dancing or participating in an intoxicated state is prohibited

What to wear when participating and "Wara no Wa"

On the day, you are free to wear whatever you like, but if possible, Japanese clothing or Japanese-style clothing is preferred. However, you must dance with the "Wara no Wa" (strawberry stick)

It's easy to make, so try making it yourself by watching the video below

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Waraji dance practice session also held

A Waraji Dance practice session will also be held on Monday, July 22nd from 6:30pm to 7:30pm in the special exhibition room on the 3rd floor of Corasse Fukushima

If you can't attend on the above dates, please watch YouTube and practice!

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summary

The Fukushima Waraji Festival has undergone numerous renovations since around 2019, and it may not be an exaggeration to say that it is still a "festival that continues to evolve."

The Fukushima Waraji Festival continues to evolve and is now one of the six major festivals in the Tohoku region. Please come and participate!

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