Takayama Autumn Festival (Hachiman Matsuri) Finished

Name: Takayama Autumn Festival (Hachiman Matsuri) 2026
Start: 2026-10-09
End: 2026-10-10
Location: Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine and Takayama's old town

秋の高山祭（八幡祭） — Takayama, Gifu (Tokai)

Last updated: Sun, October 4, 2026

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Dates: Fri, Oct 9 – Sat, Oct 10, 2026 (The 2026 edition has concluded — 2027 dates are not yet announced)
Venue: Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine and Takayama's old town (櫻山八幡宮・高山市街地)
Tickets: Free to watch.
Bad weather: Events are scaled down or cancelled in rain and are not postponed.
Official site: www.hidatakayama.or.jp

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The autumn Takayama Festival is the festival of Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine in the north of Takayama's old town, held every October 9–10. Ornate festival floats (yatai), some carrying mechanical karakuri puppets, are brought out and displayed around the shrine, and the town fills for two days — one of the most celebrated float festivals in Japan.

Planning for 2027

The 2026 edition of Takayama Autumn Festival (Hachiman Matsuri) was held on Fri, Oct 9. It is usually held between Oct 9 and Oct 10, so that is the part of the calendar to keep free for 2027. The organiser sets each year's date itself, so treat that as a planning window and confirm it before you book anything fixed.

The 2027 date has not been published yet. This page is updated once the organiser publishes it, so it is worth a look again before you book anything non-refundable.

Background

Takayama holds two festivals a year: the spring Sanno Festival in April and this autumn Hachiman Festival in October. Both belong to the float-festival tradition that UNESCO recognises as Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals.

Getting there

Takayama Station (JR Takayama Main Line) is about 2 h 20 min by limited express from Nagoya; Sakurayama Hachimangu is about 20 min walk from the station through the old town.

Tips

The dates are fixed: October 9 and 10 every year. In 2026 they fall on a Friday and Saturday.
Takayama's hotels fill up months ahead for festival days — book early or stay in a nearby town and come in by train.
2026 schedule (Takayama tourism association): the floats line up along the Sakurayama Hachimangu approach 9:00am–5:00pm on Oct 9 and 9:00am–4:00pm on Oct 10; the Hotei-tai karakuri puppet performance is at the shrine at about 12:00pm and 2:00pm on Oct 9 and 11:00am and 1:00pm on Oct 10 (about 20 minutes each); the Goshinko procession runs 1:20–3:30pm on Oct 9 and 8:30am–12:00pm and 1:30–4:00pm on Oct 10; and the lantern-lit night parade (Yoi-matsuri) runs 6:00–9:30pm on Oct 9 only. One float (Gyojin-tai) is under repair, so ten floats appear this year.
In rain, events are scaled down or cancelled and are not postponed to another day; the karakuri performance moves indoors to the Sakurayama Nikkokan.

Maintained by Tetsu Yamamoto · Last verified against the official source: Sun, October 4, 2026