murmurIsawa Cormorant Fishing on the Fuefuki River
Fuefuki City · Fuefuki River in front of Fuefuki City Hall
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Fuefuki City Official Tourism Portal · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates confirmed with official sources
- 2026
- Jul 20 – Aug 16, 2026 （Ended） Wednesdays, Thursdays and weekends, 8:00 pm to 8:50 pm, with fireworks afterwards on weekends
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late July
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Held on Wednesdays, Thursdays and weekends during the season
- Venue
- Fuefuki River in front of Fuefuki City Hall
- City
- Fuefuki City, Yamanashi
About
Cormorant fishing in Isawa is a summer tradition in Fuefuki and a designated intangible folk cultural property of the city. Known as kachi-u, or walking cormorant fishing, it has a single master wading through the river on foot while directing the birds to catch fish, a method practiced nowhere else in Japan. Its history is said to stretch back about 800 years, and it was revived for visitors in its current form as Isawa Ukai in 1976. Since 2005 the Fuefuki River Isawa Ukai Preservation Society has cared for the birds and put on the demonstrations. The masters pass close by the viewing seats, so you get a good look at the lantern-lit water and their indigo-dyed samue work clothes with straw skirts. Cormorant fishing fireworks go up after the demonstration. It may be cancelled depending on the weather or the state of the river.
Sources
- OfficialFuefuki City Official Tourism Portal www.fuefuki-kanko.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.