About this event
The Imaichi Yatai Festival, a major annual autumn festival, will be held in the central downtown area of Imaichi, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture. This festival was revived in 2009 to restore vibrancy to the Imaichi area. On the festival day, beautifully carved float yatai and floral yatai representing local neighborhoods parade along the street in front of JR Imaichi Station to perform 'buttsuke,' a spirited musical competition of traditional festival music (ohayashi). In particular, the 'So-buttsuke' (grand ensemble competition) starting at 18:00 serves as the festival's climax, allowing spectators to enjoy powerful floats and impassioned musical performances. Traffic restrictions will be in place during the festival period along JR Imaichi Station Avenue, which serves as the venue. Based on the previous year's schedule, traffic restrictions begin at 11:30, followed by the 1st buttsuke at 13:45, the 2nd buttsuke at 16:25, the So-buttsuke at 18:00, and concluding with the ceremonial hand-clapping (teuchi-shiki) around 18:30. Traffic restrictions are lifted around 20:00 after the festival ends. Please note that the schedule may change on the day or traffic restrictions may be lifted later for safety reasons. This festival continues to charm many visitors as a traditional event that colors autumn in Nikko City.
Official website (Japanese) ↗Venue
JR Imaichi Station
Chuocho, Nikko, Tochigi 321-1266, Japan
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