Amakusa Hondo Haiya Festival

A traditional event representing the Amakusa and Hondo area, this festival originated from the 1966 commemorations for the opening of the Amakusa Gokyo Bridges. A wide variety of events are held, including the Children's Haiya, a fireworks display, dance performances, and a grand street dance parade.

The festival’s main feature, the “Haiya Bushi,” is a local folk song that originated in the Ushibuka area of the city. Its distinctive melody was born from southern rhythms brought back along with seafood, blended with the Futagari Jinku style of singing that was popular mainly in Kumamoto. With a history of over 300 years, it was sung at drinking gatherings in port towns and to celebrate big catches, and spread across Japan through sailors.

At the “Children's Haiya,” kindergarteners perform lively dances, while the “Fireworks Display” features one of the largest 1.5-shaku fireworks shells in the prefecture, lighting up the night sky and the sea. The “Dance Performances,” where groups perform in creative costumes and choreography, and the “Grand Street Dance Parade,” where Approx. 2,000 people march along the national highway, are the festival’s biggest highlights.

There are also lively markets and stage events that add to the festive atmosphere. Visitors come not only from the former Hondo city area, but also from across the Amakusa Islands and from inside and outside Kumamoto Prefecture, filling the venue with crowds of tourists.