murmurHokkai Heso Matsuri (Belly Button Festival)
Furano City · Festival plaza on Shin-Aioi-dori, the shopping street in front of JR Furano Station
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Hokkai Heso Matsuri Executive Committee · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Jul 28–29, 2026 （Ended） Heso dance contest 19:00–20:00 on both days
- 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 28 – July 29
- Venue
- Festival plaza on Shin-Aioi-dori, the shopping street in front of JR Furano Station
- City
- Furano City, Hokkaido
About
Furano sits at the geographic center of Hokkaido, so locals call it the island's belly button, and this festival celebrates exactly that. The star attraction is the zuhara odori: dancers paint a face on their bare stomachs, hide their heads under large straw hats and parade in a wonderfully comic dance. The idea grew out of the city's 1969 citizens' charter, and the festival is also the annual rite of Hokushin Shrine, nicknamed the Belly Button Shrine, which is why it keeps the same two summer dates every year instead of moving to a weekend. The dancing takes place on Shin-Aioi-dori in front of Furano Station, with stalls selling local food, fireworks and music and dance by residents. Over the two days it draws some 4,000 dancers and 70,000 visitors.
Sources
- OfficialHokkai Heso Matsuri Executive Committee hesomatsuri.com
- OfficialHokkai Heso Matsuri Executive Committee hesomatsuri.com
- OfficialHokkai Heso Matsuri Executive Committee hesomatsuri.com
- OfficialHokkai Heso Matsuri Executive Committee hesomatsuri.com
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.