murmurAbare Matsuri (Ushitsu Rampage Festival)
Noto Town · Ushitsu district, Noto Town (around Yasaka Shrine and Ushitsu Port)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Hot Ishikawa Travel Net (Ishikawa Prefecture Tourism League) · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Jul 3–4, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early July
- How the date is set
- The 1st Friday of July Held over the first Friday and Saturday of July
- Venue
- Ushitsu district, Noto Town (around Yasaka Shrine and Ushitsu Port)
- City
- Noto Town, Ishikawa
About
The festival of Yasaka Shrine in the Ushitsu district of Noto Town kicks off the run of kiriko lantern festivals across Noto. According to legend, when an epidemic spread in the Kanbun era of the Edo period, the deity Gozu Tenno was brought from Kyoto's Gion shrine and a festival held, whereupon a large wasp appeared, stung the sick and cured them. On the first night, about 40 kiriko gather on the harbour plaza and are carried boldly around blazing pillar torches in a rain of sparks. The second day belongs to the mikoshi, which are thrown into the sea and the river, dropped off a bridge and even tossed into bonfires, true to the festival's name, abare, meaning rampage. Central Ushitsu is closed to traffic while the festival is on, so drivers should arrive early or use the temporary parking.
Sources
- OfficialHot Ishikawa Travel Net (Ishikawa Prefecture Tourism League) www.hot-ishikawa.jp
- OfficialJapan Heritage Noto Kiriko Festivals site (Ishikawa Prefecture Tourism League) notokiriko.ishikawa.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.