Festivals / September / Toyama

Owara Kaze no Bon

おわら風の盆say “oh-wah-rah kah-zeh noh bon”

For three nights in September, dancers in deep straw hats move silently through the old streets of a Toyama hill town to the sound of a mournful fiddle.

Toyama · Map ↗September 1–3, every year★★★ Overnight tripDanceNightAutumn

Dancers in straw hats perform on a lantern-lit stone square at night, with spectators filling a long stairway behind. — Kagami-machi district dancers at Owara Kaze no Bon, September 3, 2017. Photo: さかおり, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source

What it is

Yatsuo is an old town built on a hillside in the south of Toyama city. Each September it holds the Kaze no Bon, a festival to calm the autumn winds and protect the rice harvest. The tradition is more than 300 years old.

The dance is slow and graceful. Dancers in deep straw hats move to the song Etchū Owara-bushi, played on shamisen and the kokyū fiddle. The town’s districts each have their own dancers, and late at night they walk the narrow lantern-lit streets in long processions, dancing as they go.

Key dates

The festival at a glance

Date	What happens
Sep 1–2, 17:00–23:00	Dancing in the streets: Each district's dancers perform on stages and walk through the streets
Sep 3, 19:00–23:00	Last night: The final night of dancing

First visit?

Which day should you go?

Best for first-timers

Sep 1 or 2

The longer hours give more chances to see the dancers. Stay late, when the day visitors have left.

At the festival

What to look for

Women in pale kimono and deep straw hats dance in a line under street lanterns. — Women's dance of the Kagami-machi district, September 3, 2017. Photo: さかおり, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source

Machinagashi

Dancers and musicians walk slowly through the streets in a long procession, dancing as they go.

The hats

Deep straw hats hide the dancers' faces.

The kokyū

A small bowed fiddle gives the music its sad, haunting sound.

Getting there

Getting there & where to stay

From	How	Time
Tokyo	Hokuriku Shinkansen to Toyama, then JR Takayama Line to Etchū-Yatsuo	about 3 h
Kanazawa	Hokuriku Shinkansen to Toyama, then JR Takayama Line	about 1 h

On the day. From Etchū-Yatsuo Station, walk about 20 minutes uphill to the old town.

Crowds. About 200,000 people come to a very small town. Expect long queues for trains back to Toyama in the evening.

Where to stay

Our pick

Toyama city

Most visitors stay here and take the train. Hotels near Toyama Station are easiest.

Kanazawa

A historic city about 20 minutes from Toyama by Shinkansen. Check the last trains.

Yatsuo

Very few rooms. They are often booked a year ahead.

When to book. Book Toyama hotels 3–4 months ahead. Rooms in Yatsuo itself are almost impossible to find.

Times are typical fastest routes. Check current timetables before you travel.

Before you go

Practical tips

Stay. Rooms in Yatsuo are very limited. Most visitors stay in Toyama and take the train.
Be quiet. This is a quiet festival. Don't use flash or block the dancers' path.

Words you’ll hear

Glossary

Obonお盆

The Buddhist summer season, usually mid-August, when the spirits of ancestors are believed to return home. Bon dances and farewell fires mark it.

Matsuri祭り

A Japanese festival, usually held for the kami of a local shrine. The word comes from the idea of serving and entertaining the gods.

Sources

References

Etchū Yatsuo Tourism Association: Owara Kaze no Bon.
Toyama City tourism: Owara Kaze no Bon.

Last checked 2026-10-13.