murmurNozawa Onsen Dosojin Fire Festival
Nozawa Onsen Village · Dosojin festival grounds, Nozawa Onsen
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Nozawa Onsen Mountain Resort Tourism Bureau · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Jan 13–15, 2026 （Ended） Fire battle begins around 8:30 pm on the final night (times are approximate)
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid January
- How the date is set
- Every year, January 13 – January 15 Sacred trees are hauled into the village first, and the fire festival takes place on the final night
- Venue
- Dosojin festival grounds, Nozawa Onsen
- City
- Nozawa Onsen Village, Nagano
About
Nozawa Onsen marks Koshogatsu, the Little New Year in mid-January, with a fire festival for Dosojin, the deities who guard village borders and crossroads and watch over children and childbirth. It is a nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. Work starts the previous autumn, when sacred beech trees are cut in the village forest. On the first day of the festival men in their unlucky years drag the trees to the site, and over the next two days they build a shrine about 7 meters high. On the last night, lanterns marking the birth of first sons are brought in and fireworks go up. Torch bearers, their flames lit from a fire struck with flint, charge the shrine, while men aged 42 and 25 defend it from the top and the base. After a fierce struggle the lanterns are offered too, and the shrine bursts into towering flames. Only residents and guests staying in the village can get viewing tickets, and alcohol and other drinks may not be brought in.
Sources
- OfficialNozawa Onsen Mountain Resort Tourism Bureau nozawakanko.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.