murmurKakunodate Festival (Yama Float Festival)
Semboku City · Kakunodate town, Semboku
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Semboku City · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sep 7–9, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early September
- How the date is set
- Every year, September 7 – September 9
- Venue
- Kakunodate town, Semboku
- City
- Semboku City, Akita
About
Held every September 7–9 for the festivals of Shinmeisha Shrine and Yakushido Hall, this celebration in Kakunodate dates back some 400 years. Eighteen neighborhoods send out large wooden floats called yama, topped with warrior and kabuki figures, and haul them through streets that still keep their Edo-period look. On the 7th the floats visit Shinmeisha; on the 8th they pass along the samurai residence street to be viewed by the head of the Satake-Kita family; on the 8th and 9th they call at Yakushido. Musicians on board play flutes, drums and shamisen, while local women in traditional dress dance. When two floats meet and talks over right of way break down, they ram into each other in the thrilling "yama-buttsuke" – the climax of the festival. It is a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property and part of UNESCO's "Yama, Hoko, Yatai" listing.
Sources
- OfficialSemboku City www.city.semboku.akita.jp
- OfficialSemboku City www.city.semboku.akita.jp
Last checked: Oct 10, 2026. Event information is based on official announcements, but changes may not always be reflected here. Please check each official website for accurate details.
Other events this month
On the day, see what locals are murmuring on the murmur map
murmur is an app that shows short, anonymous posts on a map, right where they were written. On festival day, open the map around the venue and see what people nearby are saying.