Summer Heat, Heavy Rain Causing Festival Schedule Changes in Japan

Tokyo, July 15 (Jiji Press)–Organizers are changing schedules for summer festivals and fireworks displays in Japan, hoping to protect people from the intense summer heat and heavy rain. The Sagajoka Sakaenokuni Matsuri festival in the southwestern city of Saga was brought forward by over two months in 2025 from the usual early August date, after 14 people were treated for heatstroke in the 2024 event. This year’s festival, which was the 55th of its kind, was held on May 23-24, with no visitors reporting heatstroke. Vendors and security guards said that the event being held earlier in the year greatly eased the strain on their bodies. The number of visitors to this year’s festival was the second highest on record, with about 278,000 people. “We believe that this was affected by the more comfortable temperatures,” an official of the organizer said. Starting last year, the Adachi Fireworks festival in Tokyo’s Adachi Ward was held at the end of May, as opposed to the usual schedule of late July. This decision was made out of consideration for the risk of cancellation due to heatstroke or bad weather. While about a dozen people had reported symptoms of heatstroke every year, there were no such reports during this year’s festival. Some people had expressed concerns that the festival might no longer be a symbol of the summer. “While tradition is important, the most important thing is people’s lives,” said Masato Yasuda, 53, director-general of the Adachi City Tourism Exchange Association, which organized the festival. “The scorching heat has made it difficult for fireworks festivals to be held in the middle of the summer,” he said. Some events have been held later than usual. Up until 2024, a fireworks festival in Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture, northeastern Japan, was scheduled for August every year. As the event was canceled in the past due to heavy rain flooding a riverside area that served as a venue for the festival, it was pushed back to mid-September. “In addition to the sweltering heat these past few years, we face a high risk of heavy rain,” an official said. “We hope that the festival goes ahead as planned without major issues this year.” The Kashiwa Festival in the city of Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, has been affectionately known by locals to be the July festival. This year’s event, however, will be held on Sept. 19-20. The intense heat in recent years led to the decision, though some expressed concerns that sales of shaved ice and drinks may drop on the back of cooler temperatures. “The dangerous summer heat that we’ve experienced over the past few years is a burden for both our visitors and the organizing side,” said Kaoru Yamanobe, 57, of the Kashiwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which organizes the event. Temperatures should be more bearable in September, Yamanobe said. “We hope people enjoy the festival safely.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]