murmurAikawa Matsuri (Annual Festival of Utou Shrine)
Sado City · Utou Shrine and the streets of Aikawa
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Sado Tourism Association (Sado Kanko Navi) · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Mon, Oct 19, 2026
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid October
- How the date is set
- Every year on October 19
- Venue
- Utou Shrine and the streets of Aikawa
- City
- Sado City, Niigata
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About
Utou Shrine, guardian of Aikawa on Sado Island, holds its annual festival, which has run for 400 years and is among the biggest village festivals on the island. Once the shrine rites are done, the portable shrine heads into town, while drum troupes, with an old man dancing and scattering beans, and lion dancers call at house after house. Being able to watch Sado's traditional arts, such as oni-daiko demon drumming and lion dancing, from right up close is the joy of it. Late at night the portable shrine returns with tall lanterns and red and white paper lanterns in a long line, a sight steeped in history. Free to watch; about 50 minutes by car from Ryotsu Port.
Sources
- OfficialSado Tourism Association (Sado Kanko Navi) www.visitsado.com
- OfficialNiigata Prefectural Tourism Association (Niigata Kanko Navi) niigata-kankou.or.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.