murmurOigami Onsen Daija Matsuri (Great Serpent Festival)
Numata City · Akagi Shrine and the Oigami Onsen hot spring town
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Oigami Onsen Tourism Association · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- May 8–9, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid May
- How the date is set
- The 2nd Friday of May Held over the Friday and Saturday of the second week of May
- Venue
- Akagi Shrine and the Oigami Onsen hot spring town
- City
- Numata City, Gunma
About
On the Friday and Saturday of the second week of May, the hot spring town of Oigami in Numata holds the annual festival of its Akagi Shrine. The name comes from a legend in which the serpent god of Mt. Akagi fought the centipede god of Mt. Nantai in Nikko. Hit by an arrow, the serpent god stuck it into the ground at the mountain's foot, and hot water welled up; healed by it, he chased his foe away, and the place became "Oi-gami," the god-chasing spot. Alongside the shrine rites, a giant serpent mikoshi winds through town, followed by a children's white-snake mikoshi and a young men's mikoshi, plus a ceremony thanking the god for the springs and praying for visitors' safety. In Years of the Snake, a special serpent mikoshi more than 108 meters long comes out.
Sources
- OfficialOigami Onsen Tourism Association www.oigami.net
- OfficialOigami Onsen Tourism Association www.oigami.net
- OfficialNumata City www.city.numata.gunma.jp
Last checked: Oct 11, 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.