murmurOsorezan Grand Festival
Mutsu City · Mt. Osore sacred site (Osorezan Bodaiji Temple)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Aomori Prefecture Tourism and International Exchange Organization (Amazing AOMORI) · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Jul 20–24, 2026 （Ended） 6:00–18:00
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late July
- How the date is set
- Every year, July 20 – July 24
- Venue
- Mt. Osore sacred site (Osorezan Bodaiji Temple)
- City
- Mutsu City, Aomori
About
Mt. Osore (Osorezan), on the remote Shimokita Peninsula, is counted among Japan's three great sacred sites, and its summer grand festival runs every year from July 20 to 24. Pilgrims arrive from across Japan to pray for the souls of the departed; tradition holds that praying to Jizo on the festival days eases the suffering of the dead. The festival is famous for the itako, mediums who are said to call up the spirits of the dead so that the living can speak with them. The temple grounds themselves are otherworldly: a red arched bridge over the Sanzu River, the many "hells" scattered across the grounds, and the white sand beach of Lake Usori, known as Gokuraku-hama (Paradise Beach). Hot springs within the grounds are open to all visitors.
Sources
- OfficialAomori Prefecture Tourism and International Exchange Organization (Amazing AOMORI) aomori-tourism.com
- OfficialShimokita Tourism shimokita-tourism.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.