# Akita Kanto Matsuri

> Poles hung with dozens of lit lanterns, balanced on palms, foreheads and hips along a closed street in Akita.

- Prefecture: Akita
- Type: Lantern
- Admission: Free to attend
- Typically held: Held every year from 3 to 6 August.
- Official site: https://www.kantou.gr.jp/

## Dates

- 2027-08-03 to 2027-08-06
- Status: confirmed
- Dates verified on 2026-08-20 from https://www.kantou.gr.jp/

A full kanto is twelve metres of bamboo hung with forty six lanterns and weighs about fifty kilos. The skill is not lifting it, which anyone can manage for a moment, but moving it from palm to forehead to shoulder to hip without letting it tip, while the pole bends and the candles stay lit. The shape is deliberate: a heavy head of lanterns on a long stem, like a rice plant bent under a good harvest. That is what the festival is asking for. When one goes over, and several do every night, the crowd reacts more warmly than for a clean lift.

## Where it happens
- Senshu Park

## FAQ

### When is the Akita Kanto Matsuri?

From 3 to 6 August every year. The evening performances run for about two hours from around seven.

### Can visitors try lifting a kanto?

Yes, after the main performance the poles come down to the roadside and the teams let people try. A full one is about fifty kilos, so most people manage a few seconds.

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Source: Akita Kanto Matsuri — Japan Voyage