Takayama Spring Festival
Head to the historical district of Takayama and celebrate the start of spring in this city nestled in the Japanese Alps.
Tomas Kauer - News Moderator 
Together with Kyoto’s Gion and Saitama’s Chichibu Night Festival, Gifu Prefecture’s Takayama Spring Festival is considered one of the three most beautiful festivals in the country. Head to the historical district of Takayama and celebrate the start of spring in this city nestled in the Japanese Alps.
Takayama Spring Festival
Photo by: PIXTA/ notamatsu Hie Jinja Shrine is the host of the Takayama Spring Festival
Founded between the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the two-day Takayama Spring Festival is part of a pair of annual festivals held in the city. While the autumn festival is reserved for giving thanks, the spring version welcomes the beginning of spring and hopes for a bountiful harvest. Since 2016, the spring festival has been recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Hie Jinja Shrine is the host of the Takayama Spring Festival. Historically, the site has been the main shrine for the southern part of the city. On April 14, the principal deity enshrined at Hie Jinja departs from the shrine on a procession throughout the area. Traveling in a mikoshi (portable shrine), the revered god is surrounded by musicians and lion dance performances. On the second day of the festival, Sanno-sama returns to Hie Jinja.
Festival Highlights
Photo by: PIXTA/ ふみ The floats are handcrafted from wood and metal and elaborately decorated with intricate designs
One of the most anticipated attractions of the event is the emergence of a dozen festival floats. Handcrafted from wood and metal and elaborately decorated with intricate designs, these floats are usually stored during the year. However, for the spring and autumn festivals, they are brought out and carried through the streets. Four can be found on display near Hie Otabisho Sanctuary, while the other eight are set up around Takayama.
Puppet Shows
Another unique aspect of the Takayama Spring Festival is the karakuri shows. Karakuri are traditional mechanized dolls that were made during the Edo period. Three of the yatai (floats) at the Otabisho Sanctuary (Ryujintai, Shakkyotai and Sambaso) have built-in stages where karakuri perform. Controlled b expert puppeteers, the dolls are featured in performances twice a day lasting about 50 minutes on both days of the festival.
On April 14, festival floats adorned with lanterns take to the streets to light up the night. Nearly 100 lanterns emit a heavenly glow, and the after-sunset event lasts about two to three hours.
