murmurShinshu Sarashina-Obasute Moon Viewing Festival
Chikuma City · Obasute area: the Obasute rice terraces, Chorakuji Temple and the Chikuma Japan Heritage Center
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Shinshu Chikuma Tourism Bureau · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sep 25–28, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late September
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Held each year around the harvest moon
- Venue
- Obasute area: the Obasute rice terraces, Chorakuji Temple and the Chikuma Japan Heritage Center
- City
- Chikuma City, Nagano
About
Obasute in Chikuma celebrates the harvest moon with a festival rooted in its literary past, since the poet Basho and many other writers came here to admire the moon. Organized by the Obasute community together with local groups and residents, it reached its 43rd edition in 2026. Every evening of the festival, the paths through the Obasute rice terraces, a national scenic site, are lined with footlights for the OBASUTE Moonwalk, and the grounds of Chorakuji Temple are illuminated. Guided walks lead through the terraces and historic spots. You can also browse the Obasute night market at the Chikuma Japan Heritage Center, attend a literature talk or haiku-monument walk at Chorakuji, or listen to a concert beneath the moon. A national haiku contest is held later in autumn. Enquiries go to the Shinshu Chikuma Tourism Bureau.
Sources
- OfficialShinshu Chikuma Tourism Bureau chikuma-kanko.com
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.