Noboribetsu Jigoku Matsuri 2026 (Hell Festival)
Noboribetsu's hot-spring Hell Festival returns Aug 29-30, 2026: a giant demon float, the 1-ton Oni Mikoshi, mass demon-dancing and fireworks -- free to attend.
When · Where
- When
- 2026/08/29 01:00 – 2026/08/30
- Where
- Noboribetsu Onsen town center (Sengen Park & Gokuraku-dori)（Noboribetsu Onsen-cho, Noboribetsu, Hokkaido 059-0551）
- City
- Across Japan
- Getting there
- Donan Bus from JR Noboribetsu Station (Muroran Main Line), about 15 minutes to the Noboribetsu Onsen bus terminal, then a 1-minute walk; about 10 minutes by car from Noboribetsu-Higashi (East) IC. Public transit is recommended, as on-site parking fills up.
- Price
- Free
- Organizer
- Noboribetsu International Tourism and Convention Association (登別国際観光コンベンション協会)
Good to know for visitors
- Getting there
- Donan Bus from JR Noboribetsu Station (Muroran Main Line), about 15 minutes to the Noboribetsu Onsen bus terminal, then a 1-minute walk; about 10 minutes by car from Noboribetsu-Higashi (East) IC. Public transit is recommended, as on-site parking fills up. 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
- The 'Enma Daio Karakuri Dashi' -- a roughly 6-meter animatronic float of the Great King of Hell, paraded down Gokuraku-dori
- The 'Oni Mikoshi' -- a roughly 1-ton demon-themed portable shrine, carried partly by local junior-high students
- Mass 'Oni Odori' demon dancing in the street with residents and visitors, taiko drumming, and closing fireworks over Jigokudani
Background & story
The festival's direct predecessor, the 'Onsen Matsuri,' began in July 1951 to mark the designation of Shikotsu-Toya National Park; the present-format Jigoku Matsuri held its first edition on September 4, 1964. It draws on local legend that the lid of Hell's cauldron opens once a year at Jigokudani ('Hell Valley'), the volcanic crater that is the literal source of the town's hot springs, letting the Great Demon King Enma and his oni visit the resort.
Good to know
Go by bus rather than driving -- on-site parking fills quickly. Late-August evenings in Hokkaido are cool even in summer, so bring a light layer for the evening parade and fireworks.