murmurNousa Kunchi (Game Odori Dance)
Karatsu City · Sumiyoshi Shrine, Nousa, Hizen-cho, Karatsu
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Saga Prefectural Cultural Tourism Federation (Asobo Saga) · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sun, Sep 27, 2026 （Ended） Shinto rite at 10:00, Game Odori at 11:00 (times may shift)
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late September
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Dates are announced each year
- Venue
- Sumiyoshi Shrine, Nousa, Hizen-cho, Karatsu
- City
- Karatsu City, Saga
About
This is the autumn grand festival of Sumiyoshi Shrine in Nousa, in Karatsu's Hizen-cho area. Come for the Game Odori, a sacred dance said to go back more than 750 years: performers bundle themselves in straw mats painted with the faces of a bride and groom and dance for the deity in the shrine grounds. The comic look of it makes this simple local tradition hard to forget. In 2026 it falls on September 27, with the rite planned for 10:00 and the Game Odori for 11:00, though the timing can move depending on progress. Watching is free. From central Karatsu, allow about 35 minutes by car via Route 204 and Prefectural Road 317.
Sources
- OfficialSaga Prefectural Cultural Tourism Federation (Asobo Saga) www.asobo-saga.jp
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.