murmurYamaage Festival (Karasuyama Open-Air Kabuki)
Nasukarasuyama City · Streets of central Karasuyama, near JR Karasuyama Station
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Tochigi Prefectural Tourism & Local Products Association (Tochigi Tabi Net) · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Jul 24–26, 2026 （Ended） Confirmed from the official annual schedule and Nasukarasuyama City (government crowdfunding page on Furusato Choice)’s notice for that year
- 2027
- Jul 23–25, 2027
- Usual timing
- Usually late July
- How the date is set
- The 4th Saturday of July Friday to Sunday of the weekend that includes the fourth Saturday of July
- Venue
- Streets of central Karasuyama, near JR Karasuyama Station
- City
- Nasukarasuyama City, Tochigi
About
This festival presents the Karasuyama Yamaage, an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan said to have begun in 1560, more than 460 years ago. In 2016 it joined UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list as one of the 33 Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals of Japan. Young men build the set right on the road: mountain scenery painted on local Karasuyama washi, some pieces up to 10 meters high, forming a stage about 100 meters deep. Before these painted peaks, dancers perform pieces such as Masakado, Modoribashi and Jahime-sama to tokiwazu shamisen, and each crack of the leader's wooden clappers sends the scenery shifting to a new view. When one show ends, the stage is dismantled and carried to the next spot, so it is performed many times a day. Around 150 young men handle the work, and the moment they raise the mountains in perfect time is not to be missed.
Sources
- OfficialTochigi Prefectural Tourism & Local Products Association (Tochigi Tabi Net) www.tochigiji.or.jp
- OfficialNasukarasuyama City (Yamaage Festival Executive Committee) www.city.nasukarasuyama.lg.jp
- Date checkNasukarasuyama City (government crowdfunding page on Furusato Choice) www.furusato-tax.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.