I am going to be helpful and unhelpful at the same time in saying EVERY neighborhood does a festival sometime in the summer. I think most of the bigger ones are July and August, but I suppose there might be some in June.

It's just that going all the way to Hokkaido (by plane I assume) is like flying 400 miles to eat a corn-dog.

I know what you mean, but Hokkaido wasn't just for the festival. The mother inlaw wants to spend 2 days in Furano visiting the flower fields and the dairy factory... so I figure, flying to Hokkaido just for Furano is such a waste (As you said, flying 400 miles to eat a corndog) so i might as well drop by Sapporo since I've never been, and we are going to spend a night or two lodging at the Daiichi Takimotokan in Norboribetsu. My wife won't stop nagging me about finding her some street or shrine festival, so I figure, I might as well time everything to coincide with when we are there

They are technically newbies to Japan, my in-laws joined one of those guided tour 10 years ago when they were in Hong Kong, the entire trip was just about sitting in a bus and passing by attraction, my wife went for the second time in her life when we had our honeymoon last year, so they figure, might as well take advantate of my knowledge of their culture and language to be their tour guide

BUT, the thing is, this is a group of people that doesn't like to walk much, they don't care about culture, history or sight, they just want to eat and shop, so I figure, Osaka's dotonbori will be a good place, and so would the Yakitori Omoideyokocho in Shinjuku.

Talking of which, I know I asked this before, do you have any suggestion toward Yatai style food (or something similar to Omoideyokocho or the Ramen street in Susunko) in Osaka and other parts of Tokyo/Yokohama????

Japanese love that kind of tour to Hong kong too!:D Shopping　tours and gourmet tours are very popular.
The places you referred to are famous because they are special.If there were many similar places,they were not special any more.
As you said before,I have never heard of yatai STREET in Tokyo,Osaka,Yokohama.Fukuoka is special.Yatai style food Izakaya is realistic　alternative.As you know,there are too many Izakaya in Tokyo,Osaka,Yokohama to recommend specific one.Internet is useful for this kind of research.
This might help you.
Japan Restaurant Guide by Gourmet Navigator
Tripadvisor might help you too.

Yokohama is famous for Chinatown.Beside that,the largest numbers of them are from Guangdong....which your in-laws familiar with.
There is Ramen museum in Yokohama.Shinyokohama Ramen Museum

Hey Fujikuro and MMM

Need a favor from you 2, as I am now trying to replan to match the festival dates, do you know if these are the final confirmed date for 2011:

Sapporo ：
2011/6/8～12 Yosakoi soran festival
One of the biggest dance festival.

2011/6/14～16 Sapporo matauri( main festival of Hokkaido Shrine)
HOKKAIDO JINGU / Annual Major Festivals


If so i will just plan base on these dates

Thanks!
Godwine

I forgot my password....fujikuro is now fujikuro2:)

They are final confirmed date.

Yosakoi official
YOSAKOIソーラン祭り 公式ホームページ
In Japanese,but you can see on the top of the page.
2011年 第20回YOSAKOIソーラン祭りは6月8日（水）～12日（日）の開催予定です

Sapporo matauri
The page I provided is official. on the same days every year.
Hokkaidō Shrine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"From June 14 to 16 in every year, the Main festival of Hokkaido Shrine, also called "Sapporo Festival" (Sapporo Matsuri), is held, and the line of people bearing Mikoshi parades down the street which leads to the shrine. It also manages a Scouting activities."

They don't like to walk? Uh oh...

The tricky thing is yatai can be great when done by pros. Some of my favorite yatai-mura have been where-ever there is a good nightlife, so people can go eat after a night of drinking. Some of them don't open until after 9:00PM, though. Chinatown in Yokohama is a good recommendation.

Unless godwine's in-laws were not in Hong Kong....
They already know authentic Cantonese tastes!

But if looking for yatai, it's a good place to go.

I don't think CHINESE FOOD yatai in Japan is better than in Hong kong.

I was just seconding a suggestion for a place to get yatai. If he had asked for Chinese food better than what they have in Hong Kong I wouldn't have said a word.