murmurEsashi Oiwake National Folk Song Contest
Esashi Town · Main Hall, Esashi Town Cultural Center
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Esashi Town · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sep 18–20, 2026 （Ended） Starts at 8:30 each day
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid September
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Three days each autumn (two days of preliminaries and a final); dates are announced each year
- Venue
- Main Hall, Esashi Town Cultural Center
- City
- Esashi Town, Hokkaido
About
This contest crowns Japan's finest singer of Esashi Oiwake, a folk song that took root in the town of Esashi over its long history. First held in 1963, it is the longest-running national folk song contest in Japan. Oiwake singers now belong to branches across the country and even overseas, and several hundred of the best gather in Esashi, the song's home, to compete. For three autumn days the whole town becomes a stage for Oiwake, with the Esashi Town Cultural Center at its heart. The first two days are regional preliminaries and the last day is the final, which requires a paid ticket. Senior and youth divisions are held at the same time. The contest is organized by the Esashi Oiwake Society and Esashi Town.
Sources
- OfficialEsashi Town esashi.town
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.