Author: RRFish, Issue: July 2007, Topic: Events, Location: Ami Town

Students from the City of Superior, August 2006

Summer festival (夏祭り, natsu matsuri) season is just around the corner, and My Ami Matsuri (まい・あみ・まつり, My Ami Festival) is one of many such festivals in the area.

My Ami Matsuri is held every year during the first weekend of August in the Town of Ami, which is located just south of Tsuchiura City. This isn’t the kind of festival that attracts tourists from other prefectures, but is more like a festival with homey atmosphere. Everyone gets together to make this festival happen, so if you are not a big fun of highly commercialized festivals, My Ami Matsuri is the one for you!

The events on Saturday, August 4 include: opening ceremony from 3pm, taiko drum performances from 4pm, and kid’s and adult’s portable shrine (神輿, mikoshi) parade from 4:15pm. Some of the events on Sunday, August 5 include: music parade from 3:10pm, Geki Ranger (hero) shows from 3pm and 5:30pm, Bon Odori from 7pm, and stage shows by 5 professional impersonators/comedians from 8pm. Local businesses and organizations will be selling their goods or exhibiting throughout the festival. By the way, everyone is welcome to join the Bon Odori. You can also join the practice for Bon Odori on July 21 and 28 from 7pm to 8:30pm. Please contact Ami Int’l Exchange Association for details.

If you are from Liuzchou City (柳州市) in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China, or the City of Superior in WI, USA, then you have another reason to visit this festival! Ami is a “friendship town” of those cities, and 13 junior high and high school kids and 4 teachers from the Liuzchou City will be visiting Ami this year. They will be performing during the opening ceremony on August 4, so if you are in town during the first weekend of August, please visit the festival and cheer for them!

The festival venue is the street that goes by the name of My Ami Street (please check the festival’s website for the map), which is not too far from the Toys 'r' Us store in Arakawaoki. The festival goes from 3:00pm to 9:30pm on both days. Parking information will be announced next month, so please keep checking the festival website or TsukuBlog for updates!

See also...

• The Town of Ami
• My Ami Festival
• Ami International Exchange Association

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