murmurSuwa Shrine Autumn Festival (Shimonita Autumn Festival)
Shimonita Town · Central Shimonita
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Shimonita Town (Shimonita Tourism Association) · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Oct 10–11, 2026 （Ended） Float parades from 14:00 on both days
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid October
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year
- Venue
- Central Shimonita
- City
- Shimonita Town, Gunma
About
Shimonita's autumn festival is said to have been handed down since the Tenpo era (1830–1844). Suwa Shrine's mikoshi is carried through town, and 7 floats tour the streets. The moments to watch are when two floats meet and their musicians try to outplay each other: one float waits while the other stops just in front of it, which tests the skill of the crew handling the steering shafts. Women dance on top of the floats, which are decorated with figures of heroes such as Sugawara no Michizane, Kusunoki Masashige and Yamato Takeru. The floats run by day and by night for 2 days, and the last night ends with a music performance and a hand-clapping ceremony.
Sources
- OfficialShimonita Town (Shimonita Tourism Association) www.town.shimonita.lg.jp
- OfficialGunma Prefecture / Gunma Association of Tourism, Local Products & International Exchange gunma-kanko.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.