murmurTamana Giant Rice Bale Festival
Tamana City · Around Tamana City Hall
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Tamana Otawara Festival Executive Committee · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Mon, Nov 23, 2026
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late November
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year
- Venue
- Around Tamana City Hall
- City
- Tamana City, Kumamoto
About
Tamana's best-known autumn festival gives thanks for the city's prosperity and a good harvest. In the Edo period Tamana was a thriving rice depot, and bales were rolled down to the boats heading for Osaka. That history drives the main contests: teams race to roll a colossal one-ton rice bale against the clock, and competitors dash while clutching 60 kg bags of rice to be crowned the top rice shipper. A food event celebrates Tamana's harvest, and the streets around City Hall are packed with energy. The 2026 festival is its 30th, a milestone, and runs alongside an industry fair. The venue is about seven minutes by taxi from Tamana Station or five minutes from Shin-Tamana Station.
Sources
- OfficialTamana Otawara Festival Executive Committee tamana-ootawara-matsuri.com
- OfficialKumamoto Prefecture Tourism Federation kumamoto.guide
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.