Nihonmatsu Lantern Festival

Nihonmatsu Lantern Festival

The Nihonmatsu Lantern Festival is held yearly on the first Saturday, Sunday, and Monday of October. 

The main night of the 2024 festival (with all the lantern floats in one place) was held on Saturday 5th October, with smaller festival events held on Sunday 6th and on Monday 7th.

The highlight of the festival is the procession of festival floats during the first evening. Seven large festival floats adorned with lanterns and filled with locals playing taiko drums make their way through the streets of Nihonmatsu City, filling the streets with festival music as they move.  The final destination for the floats is the Nihonmatsu Shrine.

The festival traces its roots back to 1643, when Niwa Mitsushige became the lord of the Nihonmatsu clan. Believing that fostering religious piety was a core tenet of strong government, Lord Niwa had Nihonmatsu Shrine built the following year, and opened its gates for anyone in the domain to visit. It’s said that in the first festival, the young people of the town carried a portable shrine (mikoshi) through the streets - in an era where there was a strict class system in place, encouraging widespread religious fervour in this sense was a progressive approach.

As a result, historians say the local people came to greatly love and respect their lord, and before long the festival grew into a magnificent spectacle including dancing, huge drumming floats and hanging lanterns. The tradition has continued to this day, where the beautiful illuminated floats rolling through the streets is the backbone of an important yearly event for local people.

Venue Details

Venue Details
Websitehttps://www.city.nihonmatsu.lg.jp/page/page002784.html
Contact

Nihonmatsu Tourism Federation

(+81) 243-55-5122

Best Season
  • Autumn
Entrance FeeFree
Related info2024 Dates: October 5 (Saturday), 6 (Sunday), and 7 (Monday). Held every year on the first Saturday, Sunday, and Monday of October.

Day 1: The day when you can see all seven lantern floats lined up together.
Day 2: The day when the lantern floats are scattered throughout the town.
Day 3: The day when the lantern floats are divided into groups of three and four around the town.

*Please be aware that you cannot see all seven together on Day 2 & Day 3.
Access Details
Access1 Chome-61 Motomachi, Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Pref. 964-0917
View directions
Getting there

By Car Nihonmatsu Station is 2 km from the Nihonmatsu I.C. exit off the Tohoku Expressway. Since some streets are barricaded off during festival time, and parking lots get full quickly, we recommend taking public transport to the festival.

By Train From Tokyo: Take the Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Koriyama, then change to the Tohoku Main Line heading in the direction of Fukushima. Get off at Nihonmatsu Station. This journey takes around 90 minutes.

From Sendai: Take the Tohoku Shinkansen from Sendai to Fukushima. Change to the Tohoku Main Line, heading in the direction of Koriyama Station and get off at Nihonmatsu Station. This takes 50 minutes. There is also a highway bus from Sendai which takes around 70 minutes to reach Nihonmatsu Station.

Useful Links

Destination Spotlight: Nihonmatsu Lantern Festival

Day Trip in Nihonmatsu City

Enjoying Mt. Adatara in Autumn

Nearby

The World Glassware Hall
Cultural Experiences

Handmade Japanese Washi Paper Craft Experience

Kami-Kawasaki Washi paper has a history of over 1,000 years. It was given the name "Kami-Kawasaki Washi" because of its origin in Nihonmatsu City's Kami-Kawasaki district. Since the name of districts changes with the years, during Japan's Heian Period, it was known as "Michinoku-gami "("paper made in Michinoku").Kami-Kawasaki Washi paper has been used regularly as shoji paper (paper for sliding doors). Many people are charmed by the warmth and simple beauty of Kami-Kawasaki Washi. Paper mulberry, a type of tree used for making the paper, is grown locally. The traditional production method, from producing the raw ingredients to making the paper, is continued in Nihonmatsu City even today.Sticking to traditional production methods ensures that the finished paper has a luxuriant warmth and refinement, and is strong and durable. At present, a variety of products, such as dyed paper, folkcraft paper, and paper crafts, are produced, all of which maintain the paper's original texture. Although the demand for shoji paper is declining, there is still demand for products such as wallpaper and lamp shades. In this way, Kami-Kawasaki Washi remains important to us everyday.  At the Washi Traditional Crafts Gallery - located at Michi-no-Eki Adachi (Roadside Station) - visitors can make washi postcards, paper fans, and other items.
The World Glassware Hall
Cultural Experiences

Sukagawa Enobori Yoshinoya Workshop

Established in 1836, the Yoshinoya family has been continuing the production of Enobori banners using traditional techniques. Originally the family business was a kimono shop, however, the side business of painting Enobori banners began to grow until is eventually became their main business.These banners typically feature images of warriors and can be quite complex with their designs. They are made by painting on banners with a type of calligraphy ink.To create clean and uniform design, stencils are made from various materials to be used as a guide for the design. Once the basic design is painted with a stencil, you connect the lines and add fine details by hand.As a nod to a famous Sukagawa person, they began creating a design of Ultraman posing as a samurai warrior! You can try out the traditional banner making method explained above to create tote bags and small banners featuring a variety of samurai and Ultraman samurai designs.©円谷プロ
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