Tone: Sakura Avenue and Shrine Festivals

When looking for a hotel in Tone, it helps to first decide the purpose of your trip. The landscape, history, and religious festival traditions offer different points of interest: the Tone River Sakura Embankment is in Fukawa, the reconstructed residence of Akamatsu Sōtan is a historic site preserving his life in Fukawa, and each festival has its own dates and program. This will help you decide whether a particular festival should determine your travel dates or whether you would mainly like to explore Tone through its history and landscapes.

Cherry Tree Avenue along the Tone River

The Tone River Sakura Embankment is in Fukawa, about 800 meters upriver from Sakae Bridge. The avenue is around 850 meters long and has approximately 180 Somei-Yoshino cherry trees. If you are interested in riversides and cherry tree avenues, this offers a specific landscape to focus on when planning your trip.

There is no dedicated parking lot for the Fukawa section of the embankment. Use the parking lot at Tone Town Hall; check the parking rules before you go, as they may change depending on operations.

Festivals with Different Programs

The Fukawa Shrine’s major provisional festival is held every three years over three days in late July, from Friday to Sunday. On the first day, participants climb up and down the shrine’s 77 steps seven times. As they do so, they perform a ritual purification (misogi) by pouring water over themselves. If the festival is the reason for your trip, check the specific event dates before booking.

At the festival’s highlight, 提又木, six festival floats from six districts gather in front of the torii gate. As music is played and dances are performed, the festival officials repeatedly push the mikoshi back when it tries to pass through the torii gate. Thus, both the ritual purification on the first day and the events involving the floats and mikoshi at the torii gate are distinct parts of the festival program.

The Tachi Festival at Tokumanji is one of the long-standing traditions passed down in the Tone River area. It is held on the first Sunday in July. A large wooden sword is carried around in front of the temple gate to pray for protection from epidemics. Unlike the three-day Fukawa Shrine festival, the Tachi Festival takes place every year. The two events therefore differ in both their programs and their schedules: one is held on the first Sunday in July, while the other takes place every three years in late July.

Historic Sites and Long-standing Traditions

The reconstructed former residence of Akamatsu Sōtan is open to the public as a historic site preserving his life in Fukawa. Fukawa Shrine is considered the birthplace of the Tsukumai performance tradition. The dedication sumo at Kintora Shrine also has historical significance: this traditional event is said to date back to 1795. These subjects offer a different focus for trip planning than festival dates: the residence is a publicly accessible historic site, while Tsukumai and dedication sumo represent their own cultural traditions.

For a broader travel overview: Kitasoma District.