murmurKurokawa Onsen Yuakari Lantern Lights
Minamioguni Town · Kurokawa Onsen hot spring village (Marusuzu Bridge, Kawabata-dori and nearby)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Kurokawa Onsen Ryokan Association · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates not confirmed
- 2026
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late December
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Runs through winter, from around Christmas to the end of March; dates are announced each season
- Venue
- Kurokawa Onsen hot spring village (Marusuzu Bridge, Kawabata-dori and nearby)
- City
- Minamioguni Town, Kumamoto
About
On winter nights in Kurokawa, a hot spring village in the hills of Aso, bamboo lanterns light up the streets. About 300 round temari lanterns and tube lanterns around two meters tall are set along the river and elsewhere so they sit naturally in the scenery, glowing from early evening into the night. Each temari lantern is nine bamboo strips bound into a ball, and many people involved with Kurokawa make them by hand every year. The event began as part of work to deal with damage from neglected, spreading bamboo groves by thinning and restoring them. On Saturdays during the season, Yuakari Yokocho has offered sake warmed in bamboo, sweet amazake and food trucks. Warm up in an open-air bath first, then stroll through the glow.
Sources
- OfficialKurokawa Onsen Ryokan Association www.kurokawaonsen.or.jp
- Reference黒川温泉 年間スケジュール www.kurokawaonsen.or.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.
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.