Afternoon
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Chugoku Shikoku
The Marugame Castle, with 400 years of history, is listed as one of the top 100 great castles of Japan due to its tall castle walls and beauty. The Marugame Oshiro (Castle) Matsuri—the city's largest celebration—started as a way to celebrate the repairs to the castle tower room "tenshu", the room at the very top of castles. On May 2nd, the eve of the main festival, witness the "Festival of Japanese Taiko Drums", where local taiko groups, along with many famous guest groups invited annually from all over the country, celebrate the coming Marugame Oshiro Matsuri. This festival is made possible by the concept "It's everyone's festival, let's make it together." It is jam-packed with events such as the Mandegangan Grand Procession featuring over 2,000 parading locals, the energetic Marugame Odori Freestyle, Shishimai (lion dance) competitions, National On-the-bone chicken cuisine competitions (a Marugame City trademark dish), as well as live stage performances, and many more.
You don't want to miss the site of over 20 groups of Shishi-mai dance teams performing all at once. Get an up-close and personal experience of this Japanese tradition kept alive by Japanese youths. For those who do not know of the Shishi-mai, it will be a totally out-of-this-world experience.
Kagawa Prefecture is most famous for its udon noodles, however, not many know that the next famous cuisine down the line to come out of Kagawa is the chicken thigh meat whole-grilled right on the bone. The gourmet competition centered around this famous dish is open for anyone to enter, even on the day of the event. Give it a try! (Please check entry conditions for further information regarding number of participants per group, etc..)
Fires are strictly prohibited within castle grounds.
Riding bicycles inside of the regulated areas, and the carrying of dangerous objects is also prohibited.
Access to Marugame City
[nearest station]
Marugame Station on the Yosan Line, JR Shikoku
Venue
Address: 1 bancho, Marugame City, Kagawa Prefecture
Approx. 10min walk from Marugame Station
Bus
Get off at the Marugame Shiro Mae Bus Stop on any of the following lines:
Marugame West Line, Marugame East Line, Marugame Tarumi Line, Remo-Utazu Line, Ayauta-Utazu Line.
2min walk from Marugame Shiro Mae
