murmurOtsu Matsuri
Otsu City · Tenson Shrine and the streets around JR Otsu Station and Chuo-odori Avenue
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Biwako Otsu Tourism Association · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Oct 10–11, 2026 （Ended） Eve: Oct 10, evening to 21:00; main festival: Oct 11, 9:00–17:30
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually mid October
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Held each October: eve festival on Saturday, main festival on Sunday
- Venue
- Tenson Shrine and the streets around JR Otsu Station and Chuo-odori Avenue
- City
- Otsu City, Shiga
About
At the festival of Tenson Shrine in Otsu, 13 ornate hikiyama floats travel the streets, each staging its own karakuri puppet show called shomon. On the eve, the floats stand by the townhouses with lanterns lit while festival music plays. On the main day they line up in front of the shrine and spend the entire day parading through the city, throwing chimaki charms against misfortune. The setting, Otsu-juku, was the largest post town of the old Tokaido. Held since the early Edo period, it is one of Shiga's three great festivals, a nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, and was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in December 2025. Paid seating is available.
Sources
- OfficialBiwako Otsu Tourism Association otsu.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.