sukagawa guide

8/8/2019 Sukagawa Guide

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Welcome to Suk agawa , the airp ort city where both people and n at ur e shine.

Welcome to Suk agawa, the airport city where both people an d na tu re shine. Situ at ed

approximately 200 kilometres north of Tokyo in Fukushima Prefecture, Sukagawa is a city

resplendent with na tu ral beauty. Sukagawa has a r ich history and culture which is reflected in its

man y festivals and events. The most fam ous of which is th e Taimat su Akashi Festival one of

th e thr ee largest fire festivals in Ja pan. The Sukagawa Peony Garden is another well known

att raction t hat is illustra tive of the citys nat ura l beaut y.

In Mar ch 1993, th e Fu kush ima Airport was opened in th e sout h east of Sukagawa. Whereupon

domestic flights to cities such as Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka and Okinawa began operating.

Furthermore, in June 1999, international flights to Shanghai and Seoul began operating thus

ena bling great er cultur al an d economic excha nge.

In August 1993, Suk agawa became a sister city with Luoyang, China . The two cities are both

famed for t he peony flower an d ha ve built a friendsh ip of cult ur al excha nge.

The people of Suka gawa City would like to extend a wa rm welcome t o you an d we look forwa rd

to fut ure int eractions and cultur al exchanges.


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The Sea sons of Suk agawa

The Ch erry Blossom F estival(from t he m iddle to th e end of April)

Both sides of th e Shak ado River ar e lined with cherry blossom tr ees for a distan ce

of appr oximat ely 2 kilometer s. At n ight t he cherry blossoms ar e reflected beaut ifully on t he su rface

of river. This is one of th e best scen es of Suka gawa .

Suka gawa In tern ational Short Film Festival(mid-May)

This an nu al festival is held at t he Su kagawa Cit y Cultur e Cent re for a per iod of 2 days in mid-May.

Every year twenty of th e best short films a re selected from a round t he world and a re pr esent ed to

public.

Sukagawa Peony Garden(Botan-en Ear ly to mid-May)

At the Sukagawa Botan-en there are 290 different varieties of the peony. These make up the total7000 Plants in this 10 hectare garden. It is the largest peony garden in the world and was

nomina ted a s a pla ce of scenic beaut y by th e Ministry of Edu cation in 1932.


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Cucumber and Heaven s King Festival(Kyuri

Tennno-sai,July14th)

This festival has a un ique custom wher e people offer two

cucumbers to God an d ta ke an oth er t o their own home. It

is believed that if the cucumber received at the festival is

eat en people will not become sick.

The Three Lion Dance (last Sat urday a nd Sun day in J uly)

An invaluable cultural asset with a history of over 400 years, the Three Lion Dance, is a festival

aimed at achieving an abu ndan t rice harvest and local security for t he year. Both t oday and during

the festivals origins it has been characterised by brilliant dancing figures drifting through the

par ade with elegan ce an d simplicity.

The Bon Festival Dance(August 15th )

Many people tak e part in this dance wearing the traditional Japa nese yukat a. The festival is


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livened u p by people playing th e drum s an d flut es

Shakado River National Fire Works Festival(the Saturday

following 0bon)

This is a large display of fireworks and every year more than two

hu ndred th ousan d people att end.

Citizen Festival

The main Sukagawa shrine is jinsuikan shrine. For two days in

Septem ber each year t he people from ma ny local shr ines come t o the ma in

shr ine and set out in festival mode.

Nagan uma Festival (th e second Sat urda y in September)

Magnificent bright paper lanterns are created all over Naganuma and are brought together for

th is festival. The int ensity and beaut y of th is specta cular festival are not to be missed.


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Tsubur aya Memorial Mara thon(held the day after th e Taimat su-akashi F ire Festival)

This marathon is held in memory of kokichi Tsuburaya s award winning effort in the 1964 Tokyo

Olympic ma ra th on wher e he received the bronze medal. The memorial mar at hon is designed so th at

anyone can part icipate. There is a special section for parent s an d children and also a regular half

mar at hon th at is officially recognized.

Taima tsu Akash i(The Torch Fest ival,2nd Sat ur day in November)

In the Middle Ages the Sukagawa Castle was burned by hostile troops. Taimatsu Akashi originates

from this and is regarded as one of the three largest fire festivals in Japan. During the day of the

festival large torches,samu rai a nd pr incess para des are observed an d at night large torches ar e set

alight as a reminder of th e burning of th e Sukagawa Cast le.

Bota n Takibi(Peony Bonfire,3rd Sat ur day in N ovember)

Every year t here is a peony tr ee bonfire. This is quite un usu al as t he fire ha s a pur ple tinge and

appear s very mysterious. In 2001, it wa s selected as one of th e 100 best scented scener ies in japan

by the ministry of En vironment.


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Ha tsu tora Taisai(New Year s firs t Tiger Da y, accordin g to th e old calenda r)

This is a festival held for Bishamon-sonten at the Chousyouin temple. In

front of the t emples gate t here are m any shops set u p selling Daruma and

Masar u. This is a very poplar event.

Su kaga wa city Inform at ion

Midorigaoka ParkLocated in close proximity to the city center, Midorigaoka park

maintains an area of approximately 30 hectares. There are

approximately 2000 Japanese red pine trees and 60 stones that

junior high school students have inscribed. The stones are

surrounded by flowers that are described in Manyoshu Japan s

poems. A place visited by man y tour ists th roughout the

seasons,Midorigaoka par k was selected a s one of the na tions t op 100 park s.

This garden has a history of about 240 years. There are 7000 plants with over 290

different varieties of the peony, rose, iris and other beautiful flowers. There can be

viewed in th is 10 hectar e garden, th e only peony garden designated a s a nat ional sight .

In front of th e garden s centr al gate st ands a st atu e of Princess Botan which was built

as a symbol of the city s frien dship ties with Luoyang, China.

The best tim e for viewing t he peony flower is from t he beginn ing t o the middle of May.


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Mush itech World(Science experience center in th e hear t of Fuku shima forest )

The wonders of nature and science are here to be enjoyed by people of all

ages,(especially curious children asking why?) at Sukagawa s Mushitech

world. Here you can explore the mysteries of nature, the world of insects

sat isfying your curiosity of all th ings relat ed to na tu re a nd science. You can

also experience our flight simula tor.

Mushitech World was opened during BEAUTIFUL FUKUSHIMA FUTURE

EXPO on summer in 2001.

Its cont ribu tion t o precision, excellence an d discovery is someth ing for us to be

pr oud of.

Located conveniently close to both Fuk ushima airport and th e na tional h ighway and su rrounded by

the richness of nature, The Sukagawa Technical Research

Gar den int egrat es high technology with our everyday lives

incorporating studies of work, lifestyle, leisure and

learning, in an attempt to create a strategically planned

city, which makes life easier. With an overall area 128

hectares of which 46 hectares was utilized during

BEATIFUL F UKUSH IMA FUTURE EXPO 2001.


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Fuk ush ima Airport

In March, 1993, the Fukushima airport was opened with high expectations from the people of

Suka gawa an d Fu kush ima for th e begining of a new high speed tr affic era in th e region.

Now there ar e regular fights to Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka, Fu kuoka a nd Okinawa.

This airport has expectations of becoming a very important international airport in order to

alleviate th e air tr affic jams occur ring in oth er metr opolitan a rea s.

Otsu ji- ga-taki

This is t he only waterfall in t he Abuku ma River wh ich flows from t he

Nasu height s. The name originates from the way in which t he wat er

falls in th e form of th e Chinese cha racter Ot su.

The width of the falls is 100 meters when the river is at its highest

point and it is a magnificent sight. The poet Basho Matsuo visited

here about 310 years sgo snd a monument with the haiku he wrote

here st ands on th e riverside.

Matsuo-Basho Ha iku P oetry

Haiku-A short poem containing 17 syllables on a space of three lines(5,7,5).

Ha iku poetry ha s been popula r in Su kaga wa city from long ago.

Mat suo-Bash o (a h aiku poet) sta yed in Suk agawa for eight days, on h is (Oku n o hosomichi) jour ney

dur ing Edo period which he t ra veled by foot.During his eight days in Sukagawa h e met with the literary men of the city for a haiku exchan ge

event.


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Also, haiku postboxes were established and placed throughout the city s scenic and historic spots.

Poetry written by both visitors and locals is collected from these postboxes three times a year and

Suka gawa city h olds an award ceremony for the best haiku poems.

The Sh aka do RiverFur eai Road

The scenic area alongside the Shakado River is approximately 2 kilometers long. It is a place for

relaxation and rest. There are various seasonal flowers that can be viewed here, over one hundred

thousand tulips in spring, salvias and marigolds in summer, cosmos in fall and the snow flower in

winter.

History and Folk Museum

Built and opened in 1970, this museum displays 60,000 valuable historic and folk materials

includin g ma ster pieces from Den zen Aodo (a copper engra ver born in Su kagawa ).


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Ookannbara Azelea Garden

This gar den is said t o have originally been th e private ga rden of Mr.Wat an abe, a form er governor of

the Ookannbara area. Since then,the number of azaleas has increased every year. Now, this garden

is about 2 hectar es in ar ea an d in tota l approximately 10,000 red, white, and pink a zaleas bloom in

th e mont h of May.

Lake Fujinuma Nat ure Park

This park is rich and a bundan t in n atu ral beauty an d can be enjoyed by everyone th roughout t he

four sea sons of th e year. This park featu res hot springs an d cottages which can be used as

accommodation facilities. The area also possesses numerous barbeque facilities and a golf course.

At th is un ique location, a whole view of th e lake can be enjoyed by both youn g an d old.

Horset ail Wat erfall

This waterfall is a branch of the Abukuma River and is set in a deep

ravine at the headwaters of Ebana River s Buddhist Temple of

wisdom. Her e a wonder ful viewing ar ea of th e water fall

rem iniscent of a h orses tail can be enjoyed. It is also in close vicinit y

to four sma ller water falls.


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Otakigawa Park

This park is situated on the Ou Mountain Range s hillside. It is a relaxing place and is best made

use of for its natural environment. Nostalgic boating, mountain climbing, hiking and mallet golf

can be en joyed her e.

The Iwase Yukyu no sat o

This facility includes a health counseling room, a guidance room and a light training room. There

are also heated swimming pools, and an indoor bath with an outdoor hot spring (rock bath, stone

bath and J apan ese cypress bath). Health counseling, guidance and oth er medical examinations ar e

available here.

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