murmurYamagata Hatsuichi (First Market of the Year)
Yamagata City · National Route 112, from Tokamachi corner to Nanokamachi
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Yamagata Chamber of Commerce and Industry · Last checked: Oct 10, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Sat, Jan 10, 2026 （Ended） 10:00–17:00
- 2027
- Sun, Jan 10, 2027 Stalls open 10:00–17:00
- Usual timing
- Usually early January
- How the date is set
- Every year on January 10
- Venue
- National Route 112, from Tokamachi corner to Nanokamachi
- City
- Yamagata City, Yamagata
About
Yamagata has opened its year with this street market every January 10 since the early Edo period, when the city was ruled by Mogami Yoshiaki. Back then, towns named after their market days (Mikkamachi, Itsukamachi, Nanokamachi, Tokamachi) held regular markets, and a market deity was enshrined at Tokamachi; stalls lining the street from Tokamachi to Nanokamachi for the deity’s festival became the Hatsuichi. Today about 150 stalls fill National Route 112, selling lucky charms such as turnips (a pun on “kabu,” a share in a business), “white beard” vegetables for long life, first-of-the-year candy and dango-tree decorations, alongside mortars, pestles and cutting boards. The market deity is enshrined at Yudonosan Shrine next to the Bunshokan, an easy stop on the same visit.
Sources
- OfficialYamagata Chamber of Commerce and Industry www.yamagata-cci.or.jp
- OfficialYamagata City www.city.yamagata-yamagata.lg.jp
- OfficialYamagata Prefecture Tourism Association 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.