Kitakata Retro Yokocho (Tanabata Decorations)

About This Event

Citizen-made Tanabata decorations and Showa-retro festival booths

Kitakata Retro Yokocho is a summer event usually held in mid-July (the 20th edition moved to June 27-28, 2026 to coincide with the Fukushima Destination Campaign) along the Fureai-dori shopping street in Kitakata, Fukushima, a city famous for its storehouses. Themed 'eternal Showa nostalgia,' it greets visitors at the entrance with vivid Tanabata decorations handmade by local residents. Throughout the venue are more than 50 attractions—themed museums of retro appliances, records, and household goods, a retro motor show, old-fashioned games and festival booths, a haunted house, and food stalls—offering fun for everyone from the Showa generation to children. It is cherished as a uniquely Kitakata summer festival blending Tanabata decorations with Showa-era charm.