murmurImari Dotchan Festival
Imari City · Imari Civic Center
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Imari City (press release on PR TIMES) · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sun, May 31, 2026 （Ended） Main stage 12:00 to 20:00; local products fair 10:00 to 21:00
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late May
- How the date is set
- Announced each year Usually in late May; dates are announced each year
- Venue
- Imari Civic Center
- City
- Imari City, Saga
About
Held at the Imari Civic Center, this festival has been running since 1990. Its main attraction is the onna-mikoshi battle, in which teams of local women hoist portable shrines high overhead to spirited shouts. Imari taiko drumming, stage shows, a local products fair and hands-on activities for kids round out the program. "Dotchan" means "which way?": back when Imari-tsu was the port shipping the area's porcelain, visiting merchants waiting on their orders were treated so well all over town that they cheerfully wondered where to go next. Entry is free, the festival goes ahead in rain with some changes, and free shuttle buses run from Imari Station and elsewhere.
Sources
- OfficialImari City (press release on PR TIMES) prtimes.jp
- OfficialSaga Prefecture Tourism Federation (Asobo Saga) www.asobo-saga.jp
- Referenceどっちゃん祭り2026（特設サイト・muchu!） muchu.mobi
Last checked: Oct 10, 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.