Japan Diaries 4: Day 663

Day 663: August 26, 2023

Saturday – Ishikari x Numata Road Trip

Ishikari x Numata Road Trip

Today in Rumoi City, the humid weather was almost unbearable. However, we had exciting plans to keep us occupied. To escape the heat, we decided to venture out to Ishikari City (石狩市) in the morning for some grocery shopping and later make our way to Numata in the afternoon to witness the famous Yohtaka Andon Festival.

2nd Street Ishikari

We woke up bright and early, leaving Rumoi City (留萌市) around 9AM. Our first stop was 2nd Street Ishikari, where we hoped to find some summer clothes and a preloved fan or cooling device. Unfortunately, we didn't have any luck, but we did manage to find some clothes for Ella's upcoming overnight school trip in Takikawa.

Grocery shopping at COSTCO Ishikari

Kai and Ella in COSTCO Ishikari

These are what we bought in today's grocery run

Lunch time! We got our favorite pizza and hot dogs

From there, we drove to Costco Ishikari to stock up on food and ingredients for tomorrow's party for Ella and Kai. Before leaving, we couldn't resist treating ourselves to our favorite Costco pizza and hot dogs. By the time we arrived back home, it was already past 5 PM. We quickly unloaded and stored our groceries, and then prepared ourselves to head out once again, this time to the town of Numata (沼田町).

Numata Yohtaka Andon Festival 2023

Status inside the lone Seicomart of Numata

Team Nicerio in Numata for this year's Yohtaka Andon Festival

Attending the Numata Yohtaka Andon Festival for the first time was unforgettable. Colorful floats paraded through 3 Chome Hondori with lively dancing and chanting. The thrilling slugfest between floats was captivating, but the best moment was being invited onto a float when they learned I was from the Philippines.

Photos from the Numata Yohtaka Andon Festival

Eagerly, I participated and chanted "Yo Yasa" as we made our way through the streets. When I finally disembarked from the float, they presented me with a beautiful lantern as a keepsake. It was a special moment that I will forever hold dear. We stayed until the end of the festival, savoring every exhilarating moment of the grand Battle Royale between the floats. It was an unforgettable experience.

I got this paper lantern as a gift after being invited up on one of the floats

Overall, today was a tiring but very memorable day. I spent around 5 hours driving, and to cap it off, it was really humid in Ishikari City and even in Numata. Thankfully, most of our activities in Ishikari City were indoors, and the Yohtaka Andon Festival was held at night. Hopefully, next week’s weather will be less humid so that we can head out again and enjoy the outside.

Read more:

Japan Diaries 4: Week 95
Japan Diaries 4: Weekend 95
Yohtaka Andon Festival 2023
10 Things to Do in Ishikari City
10 Things to Do in Numata

Hokkaido 179

Japan Diaries 4: Summary