Hida Furukawa Festival 2027
On the night of April 19, hundreds of near-naked men carry a giant drum on a tall wooden tower through Hida-Furukawa while rival neighborhood teams charge in to plant their small drums against it - the wild Okoshi-daiko, heart of a UNESCO-listed festival that also parades nine ornate floats on the 20th.
When · Where
- When
- 2027/04/19 09:00 – 2027/04/20
- Where
- Central Hida-Furukawa (Matsuri Plaza and the old-town streets) and Ketawakamiya Shrine, Hida（Furukawacho, Hida City, Gifu 509-4221 (Ketawakamiya Shrine) and the town-centre festival streets）
- City
- Across Japan
- Getting there
- Hida-Furukawa is one stop (~15 minutes by local train) north of Takayama on the JR Takayama Main Line; from Nagoya, the Limited Express 'Hida' takes about 2.5 hours. The Okoshi-daiko launches from Matsuri Plaza in the town centre, a 5-10 minute walk from Hida-Furukawa Station, and Ketawakamiya Shrine is about 15 minutes on foot. Expect big crowds on the night of the 19th; book Furukawa or Takayama lodging well ahead.
- Price
- Free
- Organizer
- Hida Furukawa Festival / Ketawakamiya Shrine, Hida City (古川祭・気多若宮神社／飛騨市)
Good to know for visitors
- Getting there
- Hida-Furukawa is one stop (~15 minutes by local train) north of Takayama on the JR Takayama Main Line; from Nagoya, the Limited Express 'Hida' takes about 2.5 hours. The Okoshi-daiko launches from Matsuri Plaza in the town centre, a 5-10 minute walk from Hida-Furukawa Station, and Ketawakamiya Shrine is about 15 minutes on foot. Expect big crowds on the night of the 19th; book Furukawa or Takayama lodging well ahead. 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
Highlights
- The Okoshi-daiko on the night of the 19th: a huge drum on a tall wooden tower is carried by hundreds of near-naked men, while neighborhood teams charge in from side streets to jam their small 'tsuke-daiko' drums as close behind the big one as they can - a rough, exhilarating scramble that runs past midnight
- Nine lavishly decorated yatai floats parade on the 20th; two carry mechanical karakuri-puppet performances and one hosts a children's kabuki stage
- A UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (inscribed December 2016 among Japan's 33 float festivals) and a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, staged as the spring rite of Ketawakamiya Shrine
Background & story
The festival is the spring rite of Ketawakamiya Shrine; the float parade is documented from 1776 and the Okoshi-daiko - said to have grown from parishioners drumming through town to 'wake' the district ahead of welcoming their deity - appears in records from the early 19th century. Often called one of Japan's most eccentric festivals, the 'Furukawa Festival Okoshi-daiko and float event' was inscribed by UNESCO in December 2016 among the 33 'Yama, Hoko and Yatai' festivals and is a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
Good to know
The Okoshi-daiko opening ('uchidashi') is around 8 p.m. at Matsuri Plaza on the 19th, with the procession and drum clashes running late into the night, so plan to stay over - Furukawa's inns fill up, and Takayama 15 minutes away is a good fallback. Watch the tsuke-daiko charges from a street corner and keep well clear of the running teams.