Akita Kanto Matsuri 2026 | Dates, Times & the Balanced-Pole Night Parade
Akita's Kanto Matsuri lights up Kanto Odori with about 280 bamboo poles and 10,000 lanterns, balanced on foreheads, hips and palms like glowing rice sheaves.
When · Where
- When
- 2026/08/03 18:45 – 2026/08/06
- Where
- Kanto Odori (main street), central Akita City（Kanto Odori — the stretch of Sannou-dori (山王大通り) between Nichome-bashi and the Sannou intersection — in the Nakadori district of central Akita City, Akita Prefecture, just west of Akita Station.）
- City
- Across Japan
- Getting there
- Kanto Odori is about a 15-minute walk from the west exit of JR Akita Station (or a short taxi/bus ride). Akita Station is reached via the Akita Shinkansen from Tokyo Station in roughly 4 hours, or by direct flight from Tokyo (Haneda), Osaka (Itami) or Nagoya (Chubu Centrair) to Akita Airport.
- Price
- Free
- Organizer
- Akita City Kanto Festival Executive Committee (秋田市竿燈まつり実行委員会)
Good to know for visitors
- Getting there
- Kanto Odori is about a 15-minute walk from the west exit of JR Akita Station (or a short taxi/bus ride). Akita Station is reached via the Akita Shinkansen from Tokyo Station in roughly 4 hours, or by direct flight from Tokyo (Haneda), Osaka (Itami) or Nagoya (Chubu Centrair) to Akita Airport. Open directions in Google Maps ↗
- Booking & entry
- Free to attend — details on the official page (button above).
- Language
- Mostly in Japanese — a translation app on your phone helps.
- Good for
- culture seekers, families
Highlights
- Nightly "honban" performance (Aug 3–6): kanto poles enter the street at 18:45 on the opening (Aug 3) and closing (Aug 6) nights and 18:50 on Aug 4–5; the main performance starts at about 19:10 (Aug 3, 6) or 19:15 (Aug 4, 5) and runs until the poles exit around 20:50, when roughly 280 bamboo poles strung with up to 46 lanterns each are balanced solo on performers' palms, foreheads, shoulders and hips along Kanto Odori
- The largest class of pole (ōwaka) stands about 12m tall, carries 46 lanterns and weighs around 50kg — handled with no support besides the performer's balance
- Free curbside viewing along the street; reserved seating (masu-seki box seats and S/A/B rows) can be booked in advance for a reliable sightline, and daytime the Kanto Myogi Taikai skill competition plus the Neburi Nagashi Kan museum let visitors see (and try lifting) the poles up close
Background & story
Kanto grew out of neburi nagashi, an Edo-period purification rite in which people floated lanterns on rivers to "wash away" summer drowsiness and illness before the Tanabata harvest season; the lantern-strung poles are shaped to resemble bundles of ripening rice, turning the ritual into a prayer for a good harvest. It's now a nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property and one of Tohoku's major summer festivals.
Good to know
Arrive on the west side of Kanto Odori by 18:00 if you want a free standing spot — the roped-off free viewing zone fills up fast on weekend nights (Aug 4 and 5 fall on a Tue/Wed in 2026, so weekday nights are comparatively calmer); if traveling with kids or want a more reliable seated view, book reserved seating in advance rather than hoping to find a curb spot on arrival.