Owara Kaze no Bon

Toyama · Dance festival

A festival of song and dance held from 1 to 3 September every year in Yatsuo, in the hills of south-west Toyama city. Dancers in matching happi coats or yukata and woven amigasa hats move through the lamp-lit streets, singing and dancing to shamisen and kokyu.

Dates

1 to 3 September 2027

Provisional, not yet confirmed by the organizers

Wednesday 1 to Friday 3 September. The festival is held on these dates every year; the 2027 festival and its times had not been announced yet.

1, 2 and 3 September every year, in the evening.

Dates checked against the official site on October 31, 2026

Etchu Owara-bushi, the song at the heart of the festival, is said to have begun in the Genroku era (1688 to 1704), so it has been sung in Yatsuo for more than 300 years. Where the word owara comes from is not settled. One story says skilled entertainers in comic disguise slipped the word owarai, laughter, into new verses; another links it to oowara, big sheaves of straw wished for at harvest; a third to a spinning song sung by a girl from the nearby village of Ohara. 1 September falls on the 210th day after the start of spring, which coincides with the typhoon season and has long been feared as a day of damaging winds. The festival prays for a good harvest and for no wind damage, and that is said to be where the name Kaze no Bon, the wind bon, comes from. For three days the paper lamps along the streets are lit, and dancers in matching happi coats or yukata and amigasa hats walk through the town, singing and dancing to shamisen and kokyu, a bowed string instrument. In principle the festival is cancelled if it rains, and each neighbourhood may finish earlier than planned.

Getting a good spot

Toyama City closes the streets around the dancing to cars (16:00 to midnight on 1 and 2 September and 18:00 to midnight on the 3rd in 2026) and asks people never to park or drop passengers on the roads nearby. In 2026 parking was at the Yatsuo Sports Arena and the Konagaya car park, with a contribution of 3,000 yen per car asked and a shuttle bus from the Sports Arena; spaces are limited and can fill. The city may stop the dancing if the crowds make it unsafe.

Seats and tickets

Watching in the streets is free. In 2026 there was no paid stage show (enbujo), and the eve events and the singing contest were not held either.

Where it happens

Toyama Castle A reconstructed castle keep in central Toyama that houses the Toyama Municipal Folk Museum on the site of the histori...

Access

Common questions

When is Owara Kaze no Bon?

From 1 to 3 September every year, in the evening. In 2026 the dancing ran from 17:00 to 23:00 on the 1st and 2nd and from 19:00 to 23:00 on the 3rd. In 2027 the dates fall on Wednesday to Friday; the times had not been announced yet.

What happens if it rains?

In principle the dancing is cancelled in the rain, according to Toyama City. Each neighbourhood may also finish earlier than planned.

How do I get to Yatsuo?

Take the JR Takayama Line from Toyama Station to Etchu-Yatsuo Station, about 25 to 30 minutes. In 2026 JR West ran extra shuttle trains during the festival, and all trains were two cars long. To board a train for Etchu-Yatsuo at Toyama Station between 12:18 and 20:50 you needed a boarding ticket (seiriken), handed out at Toyama Station, and the number was limited. Coming back, Etchu-Yatsuo had no seiriken: passengers boarded in the order they queued, and JR advised buying the return ticket in advance at Toyama. The busiest times were 14:00 to 18:00 going out and 19:00 to 23:00 coming back.