Tohoku Four Seasons Colors & Tohoku Bond Festival Begins at Osaka-Kansai Expo with Parades on June 14th and 15th

The “Tohoku Four Seasons Colors & Tohoku Bond Festival,” an event promoting the food and culture of the Tohoku region, kicked off on June 13 at the Osaka-Kansai Expo.

This event sends a message of gratitude for support following the Great East Japan Earthquake to the world and provides an opportunity to experience the charm of Tohoku’s “nature,” “culture,” “gourmet,” “technology,” and “people.” It features traditional performances and craft experience booths from each prefecture of Tohoku as well as food and merchandise stalls. On stage, attractions such as traditional performances from various prefectures are showcased.

At the opening ceremony held on the first day, June 13th, governors from the Tohoku prefectures attended the ribbon-cutting to celebrate the opening. Furthermore, the characters “Ikube” from Aomori Prefecture, “Sobacchi” from Iwate Prefecture, “Ndacchi” from Akita Prefecture, “Musubimaru” from Miyagi Prefecture, “Kitekerokun” from Yamagata Prefecture, and “Kibitan” from Fukushima Prefecture, along with the Expo’s official character “Miyakumyaku” joined the festivities to enliven the ceremony.

On the 14th and 15th, a “Tohoku Bond Festival Parade” will be held, featuring the Aomori Nebuta Festival, Akita Kanto Festival, Morioka Sansa Odori, Yamagata Hanagasa Festival, Sendai Tanabata Festival, and Fukushima Waraji Festival, with a total of about 550 performers showcasing their talents. Parades are scheduled twice each day, at 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM on the 14th and at 10:30 AM and 1:00 PM on the 15th. There will also be a live stream available on the official website.

The period runs until June 15th. Each day, the event will be open from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM. The venue is the EXPO Arena “Matsuri” near the West Gate.