is a

matsuri Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions often celebrated with dance and music in Japan. Many festivals have their roots in traditional Chinese festivals, but have undergone extensive changes over time to have little resemblance ...

Kokura Kita-ku, Kitakyūshū is an ancient Jōkamachi, castle town and the center of Kitakyushu, Japan, guarding the Kanmon Straits, Straits of Shimonoseki between Honshu and Kyushu with its suburb Moji-ku, Kitakyushu, Moji. Kokura is also the name of the Kokura Station ...

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It is a summer festival that spans two days, usually the first weekend in August. It is Kitakyūshū's largest festival, having been created to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the creation of the city. Its predecessor was the .

History

When Kitakyushu celebrated the 10th anniversary of its creation as a municipality and ordinance-designated city in 1973, a

Junior Chamber International Junior Chamber International, commonly referred to as JCI, is a non-profit international non-governmental organization of young people between and years old. It has members in about 124 countries, and regional or national organizations in mo ...

corporation held an event called the "Kitakyushu Matsuri", and on the 25th anniversary, the current Wasshoi Hyakuman Matsuri was started. The , a

yosakoi Yosakoi () is a unique style of dance that originated in Japan and that is performed at festivals and events all over the country. The first Yosakoi festival was held in 1954 in Kōchi, Japan, on the island of Shikoku. Yosakoi-style dancing has ...

dance that originated in Kōchi has been performed every year since 2003. Local businesses and groups, as well as student organizations have participated, and participation has increased in the years since it started. In recent years, more than 10,000 people have participated in the dance.

Characteristics

The event's budget is usually around 80,000,000 yen, most of which goes to supporting the city.「わっしょい百万夏まつり」8月1、2日に開催
��読売新聞 2009年5月16日） On average, around 1,500,000 people attend the event annually. Every year a theme is picked; in 2009, the theme was "Pride of Kitakyushu". Due to the participation of groups from around the city, it is possible to see many unique aspects of other festivals, such as floats from Wakamatsu-ku and Kurosaki or "light pyramids" from Tobata-ku. There are also others from outside of Kitakyūshū, such as the big snake float from Ōmuta,

. The festival finishes with fireworks.

References

External links

Wasshoi Hyakuman Natsumatsuri
Festivals in Japan Summer festivals Kitakyushu Festivals in Fukuoka Prefecture August events {{Japan-culture-stub