# Yokote Kamakura Snow Festival

> Around a hundred snow huts across Yokote, each with a candle and children inside offering sweet amazake.

- Prefecture: Akita
- Type: Snow ice
- Admission: Free to attend
- Typically held: Held every year on 15 and 16 February.
- Official site: https://www.city.yokote.lg.jp/

## Dates

- 2027-02-15 to 2027-02-16
- Status: confirmed
- Dates verified on 2026-08-20 from https://www.city.yokote.lg.jp/

The kamakura are not decorations. They are small shrines to the water god, built for a rite that goes back some four hundred and fifty years, and each one has an altar at the back facing the entrance. Children sit inside and call visitors in to share amazake and grilled mochi in exchange for a coin offered to the god, which is the whole transaction and takes about five minutes per hut. Alongside the large ones, thousands of miniature kamakura are set along the riverbank and lit with a single candle each, which is the part people photograph. Yokote is deep snow country, so this is a festival to dress properly for.

## FAQ

### When is the Yokote Kamakura Snow Festival?

On 15 and 16 February every year. The huts are lit from around 18:00 on both evenings.

### Can you go inside the snow huts?

Yes. The children inside invite visitors in, and offering a small coin to the water god's altar is the customary exchange for amazake and grilled mochi.

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Source: Yokote Kamakura Snow Festival — Japan Voyage