The Takayama Spring Festival and the Takayama Autumn Festival draws crowds from all over Japan, and around the world, to Takayama, to celebrate the change of seasons. If you are thinking of going, and I highly recommend that you do, there are some things you need to know before you go.
What is the Takayama Spring Festival?
The Takayama Spring festival, also known as Sanno Matsuri, is held annually on April 14 and 15, to mark the change of the seasons. This colourful, vibrant event is dedicated to the Hie Shrine, which is located in Takayama’s Old Town. This festival compliments the Takayama Autumn festival, or Hachiman Matsuri, which is dedicated to the Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine.
For the two days of the festival, Takayama comes alive with food stalls, parades, cultural performances and the stunning Yatai (floats) come out on display for everyone to admire.
I traveled to Takayama for 3 days in April, which happened to coincide with the Spring festival. In this post I will be talking about my first-hand experience travelling solo to Takayama during the Spring festival.
How to Get to Takayama
Takayama is located in the mountainous Hida region of the Gifu prefecture, well known for its delicious Hida beef. It really is in a stunning location and makes the perfect base to explore further afield, before or after the festival. Nearby scenic tourist hotspots such as Shirakawa go, the Shinhotaka Ropeway and Kamikochi, are easy day trips from Takayama.
Takayama is easily accessible from all the major cities. I took the direct scenic Hida limited express train from Kyoto to Takayama. I arrived in a couple of hours after traveling through pretty spectacular scenery.
You can also travel by Shinkansen, but there is no direct route, you need to change trains in Nagoya, which was pretty easy to do. This was my first time traveling solo in Japan, and if I managed to figure out the trains, then you can too! For more details about the trains and train stations, I have written another post explaining it all, which you can read here.
The most important thing to remember is that the trains to and from Takayama get very busy during the Takayama Spring Festival. I imagine it would be the same for the Autumn festival, so you need to book ahead. I pre-purchased my train tickets online months ahead. Your seat allocation is issued a month before your travel date and if catching the Hida Express, you will need to get a paper ticket. I organized to pick my paper ticket up from a post office in Tokyo. There are several other pick-up locations to choose from, or you can have it posted to you (give yourself plenty of time to allow for postage).
Where to Stay in Takayama
The whole reason I chose to go to Takayama in the first place was to get out of the big cities and experience a little of rural Japan. I wanted to stay in a traditional ryokan with an onsen. I searched the Gifu region, as there a lot of onsen towns in this area, but I was really struggling to find accommodation. Finally, I managed to find a ryokan in Takayama, and I think I hit the jackpot with this one!
As luck would have it, I think I discovered the best ryokan in Takayama! I loved my stay at Oyado Koto No Yume, a traditional Japanese Inn so much, that I wrote a whole separate post about it! Located just a 5-minute walk from the train station, this ryokan offers traditional Japanese hospitality and exceptional service. Here is the link to read more about my stay at this wonderful hotel.
As I mentioned earlier, the population of Takayama, explodes during Spring festival. This population increase extends to nearby towns as well, so it is very important to book accommodation well in advance along with your transportation.
Takayama Spring Festival
Takayama Spring festival is thought to have its origins in the 16th and 17th centuries, heralding the coming of Spring to Takayama. Being a small, snow-bound city nestled between mountains, the arrival of Spring is cause for celebration! During the festival, locals bask in the joy of Spring and beseech the gods for good harvests and peace for the year.
One of the main attractions of the festival are the yatai festival floats and the various traditional arts surrounding them. The yatai are symbolic of the economic might of Takayama’s wealthy elite, and a showcase of traditional Japanese craftsmanship.
Takayama Spring Festival Program
Throughout the 2 days of the festival, alongside the key events outlined below, numerous food stalls, carnival games and markets are set up throughout the town, ensuring there is always lots to explore between program items.
Day 1
Gathering of the Yatai
Yatai are only on display during festivals. Alternatively, they can be viewed on rotation at the Festival Floats Exhibition Hall, at other times of the year. With intricate wooden structures, exquisite carvings, drapes, lacquer-work, metal ornaments and other decorations, the twelve yatai are a collection of traditional Japanese craftsmanship and have been designated by the government as tangible folklore cultural assets. The festival is a wonderful opportunity to see them up close.
During the gathering of the yatai, four of the yatai (Kaguratai, Ryujitai, Shakkyotai and Sambaso), are on display in the square in front of Takayama Jinya, and the other eight yatai are lined up on the town’s streets.
Marionette Performance
Twice a day during the Takayama Spring festival, in the morning and afternoon, you can witness the Karakuri marionette performances. Three yatai, located in front of Takayama Jinya, each put on a different performance. These displays enact old Japanese legends and other tales. The Karakuri dolls come alive in intricate dances set to Noh drama librettos (the oldest surviving form of Japanese theatre). The dolls are controlled by dozens of strings with incredible skill by highly experienced puppeteers.
I had arrived in Takayama around lunchtime, dropped my luggage off and wandered down to the old town without really knowing much about the festival program or what to expect. Once again, my luck kicked in, as I found myself in a public square at the end of the street and there seemed to be a crowd gathering. Turns out I had stumbled upon the courtyard of Takayama Jinya, and found myself in front of the stunning yatai floats, where the Karakuri marionette performance was about to take place.
It was a little bit of a wait for the performance to begin. I didn’t mind. I enjoyed watching the puppeteers preparing for the big performances and I had a great position. Soon after I arrived, the crowd swelled and stretched back as far as the eye could see!
Street Parade
The Gojunko Procession marks the two days in which the festival deity, Sanno-sama travels around the town. The mikoshi portable shrine in which Sanno-sama rides, takes centre stage, while all around, musicians serenade, lion-dance performers purify the streets and rid them of devils and Tokeiraku players bang gongs.
The procession starts at the Hei Jinja Shrine, after the afternoon marionette performance and weaves through the town returning to its home the following day. The participants are all dressed in traditional Japanese garb of yesteryear, making it a unique opportunity to get a peek into Japan’s traditional past.
Night Parade
In the evening of the first day of the festival the yatai are illuminated by many lanterns and paraded through the streets of the old town. The night parade is considered by many to be the highlight of the festival. The sight of ornate yatai floating their way through the evening with gently swaying lanterns, making their way back to their storehouses for the night, is a sight to behold.
Day 2
The festival program on day 2 is pretty much a repeat of Day 1, excluding the night parade. Most hotels in Takayama will have a festival program printed out for guests. These include details of program events and the route for the Gojunko procession.
It is important to note that the festival program can change in the case of bad weather. In 2025, when I was there, the night parade was cancelled. However, I was lucky to see the 3 floats used in the marionette performance illuminated and escorted back to their garages. The festival parade was also cancelled on day 2, to protect the historic yatai from the bad weather. Once again…. I count myself very lucky that I got to see it on day 1!
Things to do in Takayama
If you are coming to Takayama for the Spring or Autumn festival it is a good idea to have a back-up plan incase some of the festival events are cancelled due to inclement weather. For details on Takayama’s many other attractions, and ideas for things to do, please read my other post on Takayama.
Besides hosting the Spring and Autumn festival, Takayama offers so much to the traveler looking for a taste of traditional rural Japan. From exploring the amazingly preserved Old Town, tasting the famous Hida beef in various forms, visiting the many shrines and temples, experiencing a traditional onsen or visiting nearby places of interest, Takayama makes a wonderful destination to add to your Japanese itinerary.
Takayama was a highlight of my time in Japan.
Deb Morrow is a wife and mum of two in her 50’s, who works in education. She has a passion for travel and through sharing her travel experiences, tips and recommendations, wants to encourage other women her age to start making time for themselves, grab their besties, and go see the world!
