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Held on Dec. 2-3 by Chichibu Shrine, Chichibu Yomatsuri is one of Japan's Big Three Hikiyama Float Festivals. Ornate floats are pulled along the city's main streets until they reach a large plaza at night where they are lit with lanterns. Fireworks then serve as the climax. Photo: Seibu Chichibu Station
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Well-wishers look on as rowers embark for the race taking place at the same venue where the rowing competition was held at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
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JR Kawagoe Station 川越駅
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Kawagoe Matsuri is a parade of ornate floats during the day and evening in the city's old town of traditional buildings. Around 15 floats appear during the festival. Held on the third weekend in Oct. Main road where the festival will climax in the evening.
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Entrance to Honmaru Goten palace, Kawagoe Castle.
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Gate to Kitain, a Tendai Buddhist temple. Part of Kawagoe's National Important Traditional Townscape Preservation District (重要伝統的建造物群保存地区).
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One of two giant kitesThis festival has two giant kites and two smaller (but still large) kites. Resting on its side, the kite was scheduled to fly at 2 pm. The kanji characters read "Michi no Eki" in reference to a new train station built in the town.
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Festival's focal pointThis grass hut is at the center of the festival site which is within the Sakitama Tumuli Park. It will be burned later in the evening for the festival's climax.
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In front of Seibu Chichibu Station
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Finish line end of the 2000-meter Toda Boat Course.
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JR Kawagoe Station plaza
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One of the picturesque streets of the city.
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Kitain Main hall, Kawagoe
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Offerings
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Main street crowd
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End of the Toda Boat Course, near the 2000-meter finish line.
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Hon-Kawagoe Station 本川越駅
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Children lead the way for a float at Kawagoe Festival.
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Garden
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Main hall
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Festival siteIt is a circular site with people sitting along the perimeter.
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Floats parked along the main drag.
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Housing for visiting rowing teams whose school flags are displayed.
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Toki no Kane, Time Bell Tower, symbol of Kawagoe. Part of Kawagoe's National Important Traditional Townscape Preservation District (重要伝統的建造物群保存地区). 時の鐘
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Pagoda at Kitain temple, Kawagoe
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Lowering the kite
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SpectatorsThese people are sitting in the best area to view the festival.
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Ornate float is pulled along the streets toward Chichibu Shrine.
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Boat landing near finish line.
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There is a bell at the top which is rung 4 times a day. The bell or gong looks like a temple bell.
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EntertainmentAn outdoor stage provides a variety of entertainment during the day.
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Hosei Univ. cheering section on the first day (Aug. 24, 2006) of the 33rd All-Japan Intercollegiate Rowing Championships.
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The bell is rung at 6 am, 12 noon, 3 pm, and 6 pm.
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Tekomai geisha lead the way for a float at Kawagoe Festival.
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Festival participantsThey are dressed in the costume of the ancient Kofun (Tumuli) Period of Japan. They will be carrying torches from the nearby tumuli.
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第33回全日本大学選手権大会・第46回オックスフォード盾レガッタ
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Kura-zukuri style architecture. Local merchants built these earthen buildings after the Great Fire of Kawagoe in 1893. 蔵造りの町並み
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Tekomai
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Veranda facing a garden.
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Over 500 stone statues of Rakan Buddhist disciples
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Patch up
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TumulusCherry trees are at the top.
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Stage at Chichibu Shrine
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Numerous college and corporate rowing clubs have dormitories along the boat course.
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Bonsai plum treesI bought one of these once and the flowers smelled good before they withred away. The tree also died soon afterward.
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Kurazukuri earthen buildings were fire-resistant, so they built these fire-resistant shops after the Great Fire. "Kura" means warehouse.
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Carved during the 18th and 19th centuries.
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Shinto ceremonyAt around 6:30 pm, the festival climax starts.
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Chichibu Shrine
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Notice board for the race schedule and results.
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Hill where the Fujimi Turret once stood.
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五百羅漢
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Moving the kite to launch point
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Torch bearers enter
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Billboard depicting Ki-otoshi (Log Drop) at Shimosuwa Station.
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Shimosuwa Station on May 8, 2004. Here for the final three days of the Onbashira Matsuri's climax, the Satobiki when they haul the Onbashira logs to the Shimo-sha Shrines (Akimiya and Harumiya) and erect them.
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Kawagoe Festival
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Seibu Ikebukuro Line train station entrance at Ikebukuro, Tokyo. It takes about 90 min. from Ikebukuro to Yokoze Station via Tokkyu express train. Cheaper trains take 2 hours.
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Chichibu Shrine offertory bin
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Saitama Stadium is a large soccer stadium built for the Soccer World Cup in 2002 and now home of the Urawa Reds. Way to Saitama Stadium 2002 from the train station.
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View from the spectator stand, near the finish line.
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Kawagoe Festival Museum (Kawagoe Matsuri Kaikan) 川越まつり会館
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Former castle moat.
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Festival siteThey did not allow people go enter the launch area at all times. Spectators were kept far away.
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Marvelous spectacle
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Shimosuwa Station 下諏訪駅
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Onbashira monument in front of Shimosuwa Station. This Onbashira log was used in the opening ceremony of the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998.
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Kawagoe Festival Museum
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Stage performance at Chichibu Shrine
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Seibu Ikebukuro Line train with shibazakura design.
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These photos were taken during the Vodafone Cup with the Urawa Reds vs. Manchester United on July 30, 2005. Over 58,000 fans attended.
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Rowers reach the finish line after 2,000 meters.
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Psst, wanna know a secret? Kitain Temple, Kawagoe
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Parade aroundThe torch bearers parade around the entire perimeter before they gather around the hut.
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Store your luggage here. Not enough lockers at the train station so they provide this service. 400 yen/day.
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Entertainment stage in front of Shimosuwa Station.
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Seibu Ikebukuro Line Yokoze Station. Get off here for an easy walk to Hitsujiyama Park where the Shibazakura moss pink hill is. A tourist info office is on the left. 西武池袋線横瀬駅
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Vodafone Cup with the Urawa Reds vs. Manchester United on July 30, 2005.
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The surroundings are not very scenic, and the water is not so clean.
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Street signs in English
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Oh man, I forgot my glasses!
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No people on the sides either
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Go straight on this road in front of the station.
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In front of Shimosuwa Station.
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You can buy a park entry ticket (300 yen) at a booth in front of Yokoze Station. Maps also available. Underpass at Yokoze Station.
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Float at Chichibu Shrine
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Stadium entry
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Kyoto Univ.
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Shopping street
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Turning the corner
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Boo-hoo! My cat ran away!
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Launch point on a low hill
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Male prince
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There are no buses nor taxis to where we want to go.
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Parade of Nagamochi which are long chests. 長持
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The map tells you how to walk to the park, but better to just follow the signs.
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Kyoto Univ.
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Closeup of carvings on a float.
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City Museum 市立博物館
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Female princess reigning over the Sakitama Fire Festival in Gyoda, SaitamaShe's 15 years old.
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We had to walk it. This was April 10, 2004, one of the days for Shimo-sha Shrine's Yamadashi when they hauled the logs from the mountain forest.
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Bell tower at night
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Entrance to Hitsujiyama Park. Show your ticket or buy it at the booth nearby.
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Float at Chichibu Shrine
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Hokule'a and escort ship Kama Hele. What makes this canoe so special and famous is that it was used to sail from Hawaii to Tahiti (and many other places) without any modern navigational instruments.
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Preliminary heats were held on the first day.
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After walking for 30 min., we reached this place called Shimekake, a resting place for the logs which had been hauled from the mountains. This is Log No. 2 for Akinomiya Shrine. 注連掛
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Residence
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If you go early in the morning, there are fewer people.
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Saitama Stadium 2002
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Coach with megaphone
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Moving a float to the starting point.
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Ride'em cowboyAs the kite quickly flew up, the forward kite pullers had to release the rope.
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Torch lightingThe prince and princess light the torch that will ignite the hut.
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The logs will rest here for about a month until early May when they will be hauled to the shrines for the Satobiki erection.
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Quite spectacular when the flowers are in full bloom.
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Main drag
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They wanted to prove that the original native Hawaiians were able to sail between Tahiti to Hawaii on purpose, and that they did not land on Hawaii by accident.
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Kyoto Univ.
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Climax
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Here is where anybody can get on the logs and play.
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These photos were taken in late April 2007. (Copyright year in the images are mistaken.)
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Mini octopus
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Exhausted rowers at finish line.
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It is not yet full bloom. A few patches of green.
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Storehouse for a float
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Winners of the preliminary heats advanced to the semi-finals held on the 3rd day (Aug. 26).
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Steering the float
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Entrance to Chomeiji Temple. MAP
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After the Shimekake, we walked further.
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Crowded street
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On sunny days, great for taking pictures.
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Local fire station designed like a float.
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Chichibu Station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line 西武池袋線 秩父駅
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Koku-Koen Station on the Seibu Shinjuku Line 航空公園駅
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Michi no EkiThe kite design is the same every year, but the kanji characters change. They make a new giant kite every year.
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Torch bearers from the tumulus
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Until we were stopped here. Sign says that only people with tickets can proceed further. Yeah, we walked all this way only to be told we cannot go further. Our destination was the Ki-otoshi slope where the huge logs slide down for the Yamadashi.
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Seibu Ikebukuro Line train at Chichibu Station
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In front of Koku-Koen Station. Notice the paper plane sculpture and YS-11 prop plane.
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Attendance number
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The race course is filled with boats on the side practicing or rowing to the starting line.
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Getting into a float.
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Stage ceremonyThe torch bearers gathered in front of the stage where there were speeches and cheers.
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We had to wait until the Ki-otoshi at 1pm was over. That's the one we wanted to see. But the place was already too full.
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Eight varieties of moss pink are planted. This is Autumn Rose. オータムローズ
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How to turn the float.
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Chichibu Station platform on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line
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Paper plane sculpture
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Sea of Red
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Sporty police car.
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FireworksThe festival ended at 7:30 pm.
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We had to wait until the 1pm Ki-otoshi log came out.
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Autumn Rose. Moss pink flowers have five petals with notches, looking like miniature cherry blossoms. The flowers are small. オータムローズ
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Children's kabuki
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Nakamise shopping arcade at Chichibu Station 仲見世
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Another sculpture in the Aviation Memorial Park.
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The Toda Boat Course is a perfectly straight body of fresh water stretching over 2000 meters.
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Drag marks
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Nagamochi chest decorations
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Floats at night, Kawagoe Festival.
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Moss pink is therefore commonly called "shiba-zakura" which can be translated as "grassy cherry blossoms" or "lawn cherry blossoms."
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Chichibu Station
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Air Nippon YS-11 propeller plane. Donated by All Nippon Airways in 1997.
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Manchester United vs. Urawa Reds
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Kobe Univ. women rowers
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Log No. 4 for Shimo-sha Shrine's Akinomiya Shrine which already went down the big slope for Ki-otoshi (Log Drop) comes out at 1:30 pm. 秋宮四之柱
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Musical battle between floats.
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A symbol of Chichibu, Mt. Bukosan is being slowly eaten away by cement companies. 武甲山
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YS-11 propeller plane. Open to the public on certain days of the year.
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Shiga Univ. cox at Toda Boat Course
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Smaller kite "Yujo"
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Log No. 4 for Shimo-sha Shrine's Akinomiya Shrine. 秋宮四之柱
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Umbrella dance
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Little Dot. リットルドット
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Hitsujiyama Park with weeping cherry blossoms and Mt. Bukosan. 羊山公園
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Front of YS-11 propeller plane.
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