Kagoshima’s biggest festival is the Ohara Matsuri.
It takes place every year on November 2–3 in the Tenmonkan area.
It is not only the biggest festival in Kagoshima but also the biggest one in Southern Kyushu.
If I had known this when planning my trip,
I would have stayed longer to see the Ohara Matsuri too.
I only realized its timing when I saw red lanterns with the word “Ohara” hanging all over the streets.
And the day before the festival,
November 1st is “Shochu Day.”
It marks the start of the main brewing season for the new shochu of the year.
To celebrate it, an event called “Shochu Street” is held from October 31 to November 1.
Because of this,
the streets of Kagoshima feel like a full festival zone from late October to early November.
Shochu Street begins on October 31,
and the Ohara Matsuri reaches its peak on November 2–3.
The whole town might even smell like shochu during that time.
My return flight was on November 1,
so I couldn’t see the Ohara Matsuri itself,
but I managed to take a quick look at Shochu Street.
Since it was a crowded event,
the photos ended up a bit chaotic,
but I still wanted to capture and remember the atmosphere.
At Shochu Street,
you buy tickets at the entrance and use them for drinks or food.
Three tickets cost 1,300 yen.
But the official website said 1,200 yen.
I asked about the difference,
and the staff told me something,
but I couldn’t understand it clearly in Japanese.
Later, when I checked the website again…
The 3-ticket bundle actually included one small dish.
The price had gone up by 100 yen because the dish had changed.
I didn’t realize this at all,
so I just used two tickets for two cups of shochu,
and bought one side dish with the last ticket.
I should have checked more carefully.
The event took place in the wide hall on the first floor of Tenmonkan Cent Terrace,
right where the Kagoshima Tourist Information Center is.
There were so many people that it was overwhelming,
but the noisy, lively atmosphere was fun.
I walked around slowly,
and I even ran into the owner of Shochu Bar Ishizue,
the manager of Roku,
and the woman from Osaka I once talked to at S.A.O.
It really felt like a festival made for true shochu lovers.
There was a small stage in the middle,
and foreign shochu fans were invited up for interviews.
People from New York, Taiwan, and other countries
talked about how much they love shochu.
Then everyone raised their glasses together for a group toast.
I clinked glasses with people I had never met in my life,
laughing like old friends.
Alcohol-themed events always have that kind of energy.
Since everyone had to stand while drinking,
and the place was very crowded,
it was hard to enjoy the food or slowly taste the shochu.
So I only stayed long enough to drink two cups.
As I started feeling hungry,
I left the event hall to get dinner.
I’m not sure if Shochu Street is something worth planning a trip around,
but if your travel dates happen to overlap,
it’s a fun event to stop by and enjoy the atmosphere for a moment.
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