murmurYubara Onsen Hanzaki Matsuri (Giant Salamander Festival)
Maniwa City · Yubara Onsen hot spring town
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 7–8, 2026 （Ended） Eve festival 18:00–21:00; main festival 15:30–21:00 (fireworks from 21:00)
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early August
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Held every summer over two days (eve festival and main festival); dates are announced each year
- Venue
- Yubara Onsen hot spring town
- City
- Maniwa City, Okayama
About
Yubara Onsen, a hot spring town where you can meet the Japanese giant salamander (hanzaki), holds this festival every summer, sometimes billed as one of Okayama's oddest. For its duration, the town is covered in salamanders. The main day centres on a parade: the salamander float Hanzaki Dashi Taro leads, followed by music floats, dancing groups and the partner float Hanako, and a gleaming golden salamander nebuta lantern joins partway. There are also rites for the hot-spring Yakushi and the salamander deity, a mass dance that anyone can drop into, and stage shows, and the night ends with about 300 fireworks and a rice-cake scramble. The eve festival offers children's activities, food stalls and a prize draw.
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.