murmurKahoku Benibana (Safflower) Festival
Kahoku Town · Kahoku Safflower Museum (Benibana Shiryokan)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Yamagata Prefecture official tourism site · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Jul 4–5, 2026 （Ended） 10:00–16:00
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually early July
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Held in early July when the safflowers are in bloom
- Venue
- Kahoku Safflower Museum (Benibana Shiryokan)
- City
- Kahoku Town, Yamagata
About
Safflowers, or benibana, signal the start of summer in Yamagata, and this festival at the Kahoku Safflower Museum celebrates them. Sown in mid-April, the plants grow in the Murayama Basin, where temperatures swing sharply between warm and cold. They start to bloom around July 2, and as the yellow petals gradually turn red they are picked and pressed into cakes that were traditionally used for dye and lipstick. Held in early July at peak bloom, the festival lets you stroll by the safflower fields and join workshops such as safflower dyeing and wreath making, with local food stalls too. Admission is free.
Sources
- OfficialYamagata Prefecture official tourism site yamagatakanko.com
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.