murmurOkinohata Suitengu Festival
Yanagawa City · Okinohata Suitengu Shrine (Inari-machi, Yanagawa)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Fukuoka Prefecture Tourism Association (Crossroad Fukuoka) · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- May 3–5, 2026 （Ended） 10:00-21:00 (boat-stage procession and Suitengu music from 17:00)
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early May
- How the date is set
- Every year, May 3 – May 5
- Venue
- Okinohata Suitengu Shrine (Inari-machi, Yanagawa)
- City
- Yanagawa City, Fukuoka
About
From May 3 to 5, music drifts from a floating stage on the canals by Okinohata Suitengu Shrine in Yanagawa. Six boats are tied together to form the Sanjinmaru stage, which stays on the water for three days for music and plays. From late afternoon comes the Suitengu-bayashi, an unusual mix of flute and drum with shamisen that has earned the nickname Dutch music, carried on by local elementary school children and former pupils. Stalls line the canals and lantern light ripples on the water, and wooden gourd charms for children's growth and protection from water accidents are offered. The festival prays for safety from drowning and for good health, has continued for more than 150 years since the Meiji era, and the shrine, affectionately called Suitengu-san, appears in the poems of Kitahara Hakushu, who grew up here.
Sources
- OfficialFukuoka Prefecture Tourism Association (Crossroad Fukuoka) www.crossroadfukuoka.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.