What Is the Autumn Takayama Festival (Hachiman Matsuri)? Dates and Schedule
This guide is for visitors who want to see the Autumn Takayama Festival, also called the Hachiman Matsuri, or who are thinking about when to visit Takayama. It covers the dates, the parade, the floats, the puppet show, the evening festival and what happens in rain.
We used pages from Hida Takayama Tourist Information, which is run by Takayama City. The festival page was updated on 3 October 2026, and we read all pages on 2026-10-04. Schedules can change on the day, so check the real-time updates the city links to.
The short answer: two days, 9 and 10 October
The city says the festival is held every year on 9 and 10 October. It is a festival of Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine, held to celebrate a good harvest in autumn. The parade takes place in the Shimomachi area, on the north side of Yasugawa Street.
There are 11 festival floats, called yatai, and they are paraded around all at once. One of them has a puppet show. In 2026, only 10 floats are shown to the public because one float, Gyojin-tai, is being repaired.
The festival procession
A line of several hundred people walks around the festival area. They wear traditional costume, such as the kamishimo worn by samurai. They carry a portable shrine that holds the deity. Lion dancers and performers in costumes decorated with fighting roosters join the parade.
The city gives these times:
- 9 October: the procession starts from Omotesando Street at 1:20 pm and ends around 3:30 pm near the Takayama police station.
- 10 October: it starts from Omotesando Street at 8:30 am and ends around 4:00 pm at Omotesando Street.
The city explains the word otabisho as the place where the deity stops to rest or stay overnight.
The floats on display
Each float has its own ornaments, and the city says comparing them is one of the pleasures of the festival. On both days, from 9 am until around 5 pm on the 9th and around 4 pm on the 10th, the floats are on show in two places:
- Hotei-tai, the float with the puppets, stands in the grounds of Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine.
- Ten floats are listed along Omotesando, the approach to the shrine: Kagura-tai, Kinpo-tai, Daihachi-tai, Kyuhosha, Jinma-tai, Sennin-tai, Gyojin-tai, Hoju-tai, Homei-tai and Houou-tai. The page says only 10 floats are shown in all because Gyojin-tai is under repair, yet this list still names it. Check on the day which floats are out.
On the afternoon of the 9th only, four floats are paraded through the city.
The puppet performance
On the Hotei-tai float, six to eight operators called tsunakata pull many strings to move the puppets. The city says the movements are detailed and bold, as if the puppets were alive.
The show is held twice a day in the shrine grounds. On the 9th it starts at 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm. On the 10th it starts at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. The city says it may limit entry from surrounding areas for safety.
The evening festival
The yoimatsuri, or evening festival, is held on the night of the 9th. About 100 lanterns are lit on each float, and the floats move slowly through the city. The city says the sight is very different from the daytime display.
If it rains
The city says that in rain the puppet performance, the festival procession, the float parade and the evening festival are cancelled. The festival is not postponed. Depending on the weather, you may still be able to view the floats in their storage places.
What the city asks of visitors
- The floats are valuable cultural assets. Do not touch them, and stay back when they are on display.
- Do not block the parade to take photographs.
- Heavy crowds are expected, so give way to each other.
- There are no rubbish bins for festival visitors. Take your rubbish with you.
- Smoking around the old townscape is prohibited.
- Some roadside ditches are not covered. Watch your step, especially at the evening festival.
The city says a festival information headquarters is open on 9 and 10 October only. Brochures are available there, at tourist information centres and at car parks. An English brochure for 2026 is on the city's page. The city also links a parking and traffic map for those who come by car.
Seeing the floats at other times
The Takayama Festival Floats Exhibition Hall stands at Sakurayama Hachiman. The city says it holds 11 floats from the autumn festival and shows four at a time. The display changes three times a year, in March, July and November.
The city gives the hours as 9:00 to 17:00 from March to November, and 9:00 to 16:30 from December to February. Adults pay 900 yen. It lies about 20 minutes on foot from JR Takayama Station.
The old town streets
Two preserved townscapes lie about 12 minutes on foot from the station. The Sanmachi area was a commercial centre. The city describes wooden lattice fronts, clear water channels under the eaves and sake breweries marked by cedar-leaf balls at their doors.
The Shimomachi area has a more lived-in feel. The city says it has not been shaped for tourism. It lists traditional shops such as confectioners, mochi makers, antique dealers and tatami makers, as well as a post office and local restaurants.
What we could not verify, and therefore left out
- The history of the festival and the origin of each float. The pages we read describe what you see, not the history.
- Road closures and parking rules. The city links them only as a map.
- Crowd levels, and whether seats or viewing spots can be booked.
- Whether festival day changes bus services.
Related guides
- How do you get around Takayama? Loop buses, taxis and walking times
- How do you stay safe in Takayama? Winter roads, bears and disaster tools
Sources
All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.
- Autumn Takayama Festival (Hachiman Matsuri) (Hida Takayama Tourist Information, Takayama City) — (dates, procession, floats, puppets, evening festival, rain, requests)
- Takayama Festival Floats Exhibition Hall (Hida Takayama Tourist Information, Takayama City) — (11 floats; four on display; hours; price)
- Sanmachi Traditional Buildings Preservation Area (Hida Takayama Tourist Information, Takayama City) — (the old merchant area; breweries; walk from the station)
- Shimoninomachi-Ojinmachi Traditional Buildings Preservation Area (Hida Takayama Tourist Information, Takayama City) — (the lived-in old town; walk from the station)