"Tokkawa Land of Fireflies" (Tokkawa Hotaru-no-sato) is the area in Torikawa-Town, outskirts of Okazaki-City, where cultural and educational events happen on weekends during the "Tokkawa Firefly Festival" (Tokkawa Hotaru Matsuri) during the month of June.
Aichi Prefecture has a spot very famous for the lots of fireflies living in a natural environment and all the educational activities happening around them. The Tokkawa Land of Fireflies (Tokkawa Hotaru-no-sato) is the area in Torikawa-Town, outskirts of Okazaki-City, around the margins of the Tokkawa River. There you'll find the Okazaki-City Firefly School (Okazaki-shi Hotaru Gakko), a simple but interesting facility with educative exhibits about the flashing insects. The river itself has been elected by the Ministry of Environment as one of the Best 100 Natural Waters of Japan. No wonder so many fireflies make that place their homes!
Annually in June the place holds the Tokkawa Firefly Festival (Tokkawa Hotaru Matsuri), with cultural and educational events on the weekends. The best hours to see the dense swarms of fireflies is, of course, at the festival hours, daily between 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM. Windless days with high relative humidity is when they fly the most.
Photo Credit: Okazaki City Tourism Association
| Date | : From May 26 (Sunday) to June 30 (Sunday), 2019 |
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| Holding time | : Hotaru Gakko (Firefly School) open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (last admission 4:30 PM) * Open until 9:00 PM during June. Tokkawa Firefly Festival (Opening Ceremony) event on June 1 (Saturday), 2019 from 5:00 PM (Concert, Dance and Communal Soup) |
| Place | : All around Torikawa-Town (Torikawa-cho), Okazaki Hotaru Gakko (Okazaki Firefly School) |
| Location | : 〒444-3614 5-1 Shodenosawa, Torikawa-Town, Okazaki-City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan |
| Fee | : Free of charge |
| Parking | : Available * Parking allowed at the Okazaki Hotaru Gakko (Okazaki Firefly School) grounds or at the parking lot near the Tokkawa Hotaru-no-Sato Information Center (please follow the instruction of the onsite staff). * If the school parking gets full, an auxiliary lot is made available on the other side of the river. |
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| Restrooms | : Available |
| Phone number | : 0564-82-3027 Okazaki Hotaru Gakko (Okazaki Firefly School) |
| Notes | : -Please depart early with leeway for delays as the roads become easily congested during the event. -Please inquire for conditions prior to departure, as the number of insects appearing vary greatly depending on the year. -Firefly School stays open until 9:00 PM in June. Visitation of the facility prior to enjoying the fireflies is highly recommended in order to avoid hurried viewing of the exhibits. -Please schedule your visit for weekdays as best as possible since weekend nights get exceedingly crowded. -Although fireflies can be enjoyed freely, please prioritize the protection of both fireflies and environment, and check your manners (i.e., avoid making loud noises, littering, loitering and depredation). -Please wear shoes adequate for rough terrain, since the roads along the river are mostly unpaved, gravel roads. -Since fireflies are sensitive to artificial light, street lights will be turned off during the firefly festival. Please watch your step. -Please refrain from shining light on the fireflies, such as from a flashlight, camera flash, or smartphone. |
Note: This page may not be current due to update time differences between site databases.
Should accuracy be critical, please verify this information using a direct source, whenever possible.
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Toyokawa-City
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Gamagori-City
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