The Tokamachi Omatsuri is Tokamachi’s biggest summer event. It’s held over three days in late August and has a history reaching back around 200 years. The festival’s main event is the mikoshi, a portable shrine taken from Tokamachi’s Suwa Shrine on a two-day tour of the city to bring good fortune to local households and businesses. It’s incredible heavy; people line the streets to get a glimpse of it swaying here and there on the shoulders of its bearers.

The Tokamachi Omatsuri also features a 2 hour fireworks show, a parade of people dressed in yukata (summer kimono) dancing to Tokamachi’s local folk songs, and many food and drink stalls set up on the streets. Don’t miss this incredible event!