Poppy Blooming Flower Garden Event & Kinugawa River Basin Exchange E-Boat Tournament Simultaneous event will be held on May 18 at the Kinugawa riverbed in Shimotsuma City, Ibaraki Prefecture!

In Shimotsuma City, Ibaraki Prefecture (Location: 3-13 Honjo-cho, Shimotsuma City, Ibaraki Prefecture; Mayor: Hiroshi Kikuchi), the "34th Flower and Contact Festival" and the "28th Kinugawa River Basin Exchange E-Boat Festival" will be held simultaneously on Sunday, May 18, 2025, at the Kinugawa Riverbank where approximately 500,000 poppies are in full bloom and carp streamers are swimming. The festival will be held simultaneously on Sunday, May 18, 2025. You can enjoy a heartwarming time with beautiful flowers.

About the 34th Flower Festival

This event will be held on the banks of the Kinugawa River, where approximately 500,000 poppies will be in full bloom, with the cooperation of local organizations and businesses. The flower garden is managed as a community activity, and is also a popular place for users of welfare facilities to view cherry blossoms.

Outline of the event

Date and time: Sunday, May 18, 2025, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. *The event will be canceled in case of inclement weather.

Venue: Kinu Flower Line (on the banks of the Kinu River upstream of the Ogata Bridge in Kamaniwa, Shimotsuma City, Ibaraki Prefecture)

Access: (35 min. walk from Sodo Station on Kanto Railway Joso Line)

Flower Stage (Citizen's group presentations)

　　　　　 Game corner

　　　　　 Fruit and vegetable sales

　　　　　 Water quality preservation corner

　　　　　 Fire ladder truck display

　　　　　 Balloon art

　　　　　 PR corner for groups, etc.

Sponsor : Hana to 10,000 People's Association (National Designation No. 24 River Cooperation Organization) (Green Ribbon Medal of Honor awarded in 2017)

Details : https://www.city.shimotsuma.lg.jp/kanko-business-sangyo/news/page007118.html

Hana to Fureai Festival

Poppies along the Kinu Flower Line

The 28th Kinugawa River Basin Exchange E-boat Tournament to Commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the Kamaniwa Shoreway Waterway Passage

This event, held with the aim of creating a new culture utilizing the river and promoting exchange within the watershed, is an event where participants and spectators alike can enjoy a heated race using 10-person rowboats.

This year is a special year as it marks the 90th anniversary of the Kamanawa JWL. The Kamaniwa Shosuijiro is a 4-km section of the Sodo Riverbank of the Kinugawa River, which used to be curved and flooded frequently, and was reconstructed into a straight 2-km section in 1935.

Outline of the festival

Date: Sunday, May 18, 2025, 9:00 a.m. (Opening Ceremony)

　　　　　 Time Schedule

　　　　　 8:00 a.m. Registration

　　　　　 9:00 a.m. Opening Ceremony

　　　　　 9:45 a.m. Start of Competition (Preliminary Rounds)

　　　　　 2:15 p.m. Start of competition (finals)

　　　　　 2:30 p.m. End of competition

　　　　　 3:00 p.m. Awards Ceremony

　　　　　 Please note that the time may be subject to change depending on the progress of the competition,

　　　　　　 Please understand that the time may change depending on the progress of the competition.

Venue: Kinu Flower Line (Kinugawa Ogata Bridge upstream riverbed in Kamaniwa, Shimotsuma City, Ibaraki Prefecture)

Access: 35 minute walk from Sodo Station on the Kanto Railway Joso Line)

Conditions for participation: 4th grade elementary school students and above

　　　　　 Team composition: 10 to 12 players per team (1 drummer, 1 drummer and 1 drummer)

　　　　　　 (1 drummer, 1 helmsman, 8 rowers, and up to 2 substitutes)

　　　　　 Number of participating teams: 40 teams in total (general division and elementary school division)

Preliminary Rowing: Two boats in each division (100m U-turn)

　　　　　 Final: The top 4 teams in each division will compete in the final to determine the final ranking.

Awards: 1st to 3rd place in each division, Best Speed Award, Humor Award, Special Award

Sponsor ： Shimotsuma City, Shimotsuma City Hometown Development Promotion Council,

　　　　　 Kinugawa River Basin Exchange E-boat Tournament Executive Committee

Supporters: Ibaraki Prefecture, National E-boat Liaison Council North Kanto Branch, Shimotsuma City Tourism Association,

　　　　　 Shimodate River Office, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Joso Hikari Agricultural Cooperative

Cooperation ： Hana to 10,000 People Association, Furusato Matsuri Rengo Togyo Executive Committee,

　　　　　 Net Worker Shimotsuma, Seiryu Gakko (Blue Dragon School) Utilization Committee, Shimotsuma Junior Chamber of Commerce,

　　　　　 Shimotsuma Fire Station, Ibaraki Southwest Regional Fire Department, NPO Community Exchange Center

Details: https://www.city.shimotsuma.lg.jp/kanko-business-sangyo/news/page007118.html

Kinugawa River Exchange E-boat Tournament

Profile of Shimotsuma City, Ibaraki Prefecture

Located in the southwestern part of Ibaraki Prefecture, about 60 km from Tokyo, Shimotsuma City in Ibaraki Prefecture has good access to the Tokyo metropolitan area, and the number of commuters to Tokyo is increasing every year.

On the other hand, the city also boasts an abundance of agricultural and livestock products, such as rice, pears, melons, and high-quality brand-name pork, produced in the endless plains at the foot of Mt. For this reason, Ibaraki Prefecture, including Shimotsuma, is often referred to as the "kitchen of the metropolitan area.

It is a town where you can leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind and live your own lifestyle in a land of rich nature.

For more information: https://www.city.shimotsuma.lg.jp/

Access to Shimotsuma City, Ibaraki Prefecture

≪By train

From Moriya Station on the Tsukuba Express, take the Kanto Railway Joso Line to Shimotsuma Station (30 minutes by rapid train, 40 minutes by local train).

From Toride Station on the JR Joban Line, take the Kanto Railway Joso Line to Shimotsuma Station (50 minutes for rapid train, 65 minutes for local train).

From Shimodate Station on the JR Mito Line, take the Kanto Railway Joso Line to Shimotsuma Station (rapid 15 min., local 20 min.).

≪By bus

From JR Tsuchiura Station, take the Kanto Railway Purple Bus bound for Shimotsuma (75 minutes).

From Tsukuba Station, take the Kanto Railway Purple Bus bound for Shimotsuma (55 minutes).

≪By car

From Joban Expressway Yawahara Interchange, take Route 294 (40 minutes).

From Sakura-Tsuchiura Interchange, via Tsukuba Science City (Gakuen Higashi Odori Street) (30 minutes)

From Joban Expressway Tsuchiura Kita Interchange, via Route 125 (30 minutes)