murmurKuroshima Lunar New Year Tug-of-War
Taketomi Town · Higashisuji and Nakamoto villages, Kuroshima Island
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Taketomi Town Tourism Association · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Tue, Feb 17, 2026 （Ended）
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually in February
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Held on the first day of the lunar new year
- Venue
- Higashisuji and Nakamoto villages, Kuroshima Island
- City
- Taketomi Town, Okinawa
About
Kuroshima, in the Yaeyama Islands, greets the lunar new year on its first day with a tug-of-war. According to the Taketomi Town Tourism Association, the villages of Higashisuji and Nakamoto pull ropes to mark the start of the year, everyone sings the New Year song Shogatsu Yunta, and the celebration ends with gaari. The date is set by the lunar calendar and the zodiac, so it changes from year to year; in 2026 it was February 17. Most other sacred rites on the Taketomi islands are scheduled the same way.
Sources
- OfficialTaketomi Town Tourism Association painusima.com
- OfficialTaketomi Town Tourism Association painusima.com
- OfficialOkinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau (Okinawa Story) www.okinawastory.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.