murmurIwatsuki Nagashi-bina (Doll-Floating Ceremony)
Saitama City · Around Shobu Pond, Iwatsuki Castle Ruins Park (Iwatsuki Ward)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Saitama Tourism and International Relations Bureau · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sun, Mar 1, 2026 （Ended） 10:00–14:00
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early March
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year As a rule, the Sunday just before March 3; held rain or shine
- Venue
- Around Shobu Pond, Iwatsuki Castle Ruins Park (Iwatsuki Ward)
- City
- Saitama City, Saitama
About
In Iwatsuki, a town famous for dolls, this rite takes place on a spring Sunday not long before the Doll Festival. At the edge of Shobu Pond in Iwatsuki Castle Ruins Park, sanbara carrying wishes for children to grow up healthy are floated out onto the water. Sanbara are said to be a forerunner of hina dolls, and the custom itself is described as one of the origins of the Doll Festival. Sanbara go on sale at the venue as soon as they are ready, so anyone who comes can float one. It runs from 10:00 to 14:00, rain or shine.
Sources
- OfficialSaitama Tourism and International Relations Bureau visitsaitamacity.jp
- OfficialIwatsuki Doll Cooperative doll.or.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.