murmurShiraishi Odori (Shiraishi Island Bon Dance)
Kasaoka City · Shiraishi Island (Shiraishi Community Hall for the first three nights; Shiraishijima Beach on the last night)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Okayama Prefecture Tourism Federation (Okayama Kanko WEB) · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Aug 13–16, 2026 （Ended） Around 19:30–23:00 on August 13–15; around 20:00–22:00 on August 16 (lantern floating from 19:00)
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid August
- How the date is set
- Every year, August 13 – August 16 Cancelled in case of rain
- Venue
- Shiraishi Island (Shiraishi Community Hall for the first three nights; Shiraishijima Beach on the last night)
- City
- Kasaoka City, Okayama
About
On Shiraishi Island in the Seto Inland Sea, an old Bon dance is still danced each summer. Its unusual form has more than ten different dances, including men's and women's styles, performed side by side in one circle to a single chanted song. That rarity earned it designation as a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, and in 2022 it was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list as one of Japan's furyu-odori. It is said to have started as a memorial for those killed in the Battle of Mizushima between the Genji and Heike. Because this is the islanders' own Bon dance, there are no costumed performances during this period, but anyone may join the circle in a yukata or everyday clothes. Lanterns are floated on the final night. The island is reached by boat from Kasaoka Port.
Sources
- OfficialOkayama Prefecture Tourism Federation (Okayama Kanko WEB) www.okayama-kanko.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.