Sapporo's Lilac Festival Draws Record Visitors

May 27, 2025 | News On Japan

SAPPORO - The city of Sapporo announced that this year's Lilac Festival, which concluded on May 25th, drew a record-breaking 769,000 visitors.

Held primarily in Odori Park from May 14th, the annual Sapporo Lilac Festival once again exceeded previous attendance figures, surpassing last year's turnout by 5,000 and setting a new record for the second consecutive year.

Of the total, the Odori venue welcomed approximately 760,600 visitors—an increase of 8,900 from last year—marking the highest attendance ever for that site. The Kawashimo venue saw around 8,400 visitors.

The city attributes the strong turnout to several factors: mostly favorable weather throughout the festival period, a rotating lineup of popular cafés at the 6-chome venue, and the highly frequented wine garden at 7-chome, which offered over 200 varieties and attracted steady crowds each day.

Source: 北海道ニュースUHB

Typhoon No. 15 Set to Make Landfall in Kanto Tonight

Typhoon No. 15 (Chan-hom) is expected to make landfall near Ibaraki Prefecture between around 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. on August 11, bringing rapidly strengthening winds, high waves and heavy rain to parts of Kanto and southern Tohoku, with unsettled weather potentially continuing even after the storm moves inland.

H3 Rocket No. 9 Successfully Launches Japan GPS Satellite

Japan's H3 Rocket No. 9 successfully placed the Michibiki No. 7 navigation satellite into its planned orbit after lifting off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 4:23 a.m. on August 11, marking the country's second consecutive successful H3 launch.

Tokaido Shinkansen Runs First Overnight Service

The Tokaido Shinkansen operated its first overnight service ahead of the Obon holiday period, offering travelers a 15,000 yen trip from the Tokyo area to Kyoto and Shin-Osaka while allowing them to save on hotel costs and arrive earlier than the first regular morning trains.

Typhoon No. 15 to Disrupt Travel on August 11

Typhoon No. 15 is expected to approach and likely make landfall somewhere in the Kanto region on August 11, bringing strong winds and heavy rain that could disrupt conventional rail services, expressways and flights while also affecting a wider area extending into Tohoku.

Raccoon Damage Surges Across Japan

Raccoons are increasingly invading homes across Japan, damaging roofs and wiring, contaminating buildings with large amounts of urine and feces, and raising concerns over agriculture, native wildlife and the spread of disease as their population continues to expand.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Travel NEWS

Lake Biwa Fireworks Event Abruptly Canceled Over Missing Permits

A fireworks festival that had been promoted as a simultaneous display of more than 10,000 fireworks across three cities on Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture was abruptly canceled on August 9, with organizers having failed to submit applications for permits required to hold the event.

Nara's Deer Population Hits Record High

Nara Park's famous deer are increasingly spilling into residential areas and farmland as their population reaches a record high, creating new problems for residents even as the animals remain a major attraction for visitors to the ancient capital.

Inside Universe Club: Japan's Best-Known Sugar Dating Club

Japan's dating scene has its own vocabulary, its own etiquette, and — for the arrangement style commonly known abroad as sugar dating — its own dedicated clubs.

Akihabara Maids Join Traditional Water-Sprinkling Event

Maids from Akihabara maid cafes joined shrine maidens from Kanda Myojin and members of the public on August 8 to sprinkle water across the shrine grounds in Tokyo, calling out "Cool down!" as they took part in a summer tradition aimed at easing the midsummer heat.