Shibukawa has a Humid continental climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall.

During the Edo period, the area of present-day Shibukawa prospered due to its location on the Mikuni Kaidō highway connecting Takasaki with Niigata.

Shibukawa town was created in Nishigunma District, Gunma Prefecture on April 1, 1889, with the creation of the modern municipalities system after the Meiji Restoration.

Shibukawa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 18 members.

Seasonal tourism, particularly to its hot spring and ski resorts, play a major role in the local economy.

The festival is based on a traditional Japanese form of entertainment where revelers paint a face on their torsos and stomachs and pretend it is a head.

These days, modern motifs and Japanese anime designs have crept into the festival, which city officials said is all about having fun.