There was a 5th annual Ashigakubo icicle festival in Yokoze town in Saitama prefecture. The festival was held at the place where is 10 minutes walk from Ashigakubo station on Seibu Chichibu line. The posters of this festival were everywhere at stations and on trains of Seibu railways. The festival itself was an attractive event for both Yokoze town and Seibu railways to attract domestic tourists to visit Yokoze town and take trains of Seibu railways.
The income of Japanese private railways mostly come from commuter passes but most profitable incomes are from ordinary tickets. Ashigakubo station is one of the most least used stations of Seibu railways, located at rural area of north-west of Saitama. Therefore the station will be crowded when this kind of festival is held nearby and almost all passengers have to buy the tickets to visit the festival.
It is also good for souvenir shops and diners which are nearby the festival venue. People will come by train or own cars and most of them will buy something at the souvenir shops or eat something at the diners. If the income of the shops and diners increase, the revenue of the town will also increase.
All limited express Chichibu used to call at Ashigakubu station till early 90s but Seibu railways changed the limited express to stop at bigger station, Yokoze station which is next to Ashigawakubo. However, Seibu railways are very flexible to stop their limited expresses which regular limited express does not stop at in case of a big events.
Regular limited express Chichibu bound from Seibu Ikebukuro stops at Tokorozawa, Iruma-shi, Hanno, Yokoze and Seibu-Chichibu but in case of Air festival at JSDAF Iruma base and season of Higanbana; red spider lilly at Kinchakuda HIganbana park, the limited expresses temporarily call at Inariyama-koen station and Koma station.