murmurNoboribetsu Jigoku Matsuri (Hell Festival)
Noboribetsu City · Gokuraku-dori Street, Sengen Park and Jigokudani (Hell Valley), Noboribetsu Onsen
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Noboribetsu International Tourism and Convention Association · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Aug 29–30, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late August
- How the date is set
- The last Saturday of August Held over the last Saturday and Sunday of August
- Venue
- Gokuraku-dori Street, Sengen Park and Jigokudani (Hell Valley), Noboribetsu Onsen
- City
- Noboribetsu City, Hokkaido
About
Noboribetsu Onsen's festival on the last Saturday and Sunday of August is built around a local legend: the lid of the cauldron of hell in Jigokudani (Hell Valley) swings open, and Enma, the King of Hell, leads his demons down into the hot-spring town. The action spreads across Gokuraku-dori Street, Sengen Park and Jigokudani itself, with Noboribetsu taiko drumming, a demon mikoshi (portable shrine) carried by students of the local junior high school, and demon dances. The highlight is Enma himself parading along Gokuraku-dori, something that happens only on this one day of the year. In 2026 the festival held its 63rd edition. Parking is paid and is expected to fill up early, so public transport is the better choice.
Sources
- OfficialNoboribetsu International Tourism and Convention Association noboribetsu-spa.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.