An Inari festival where the Fox Wedding procession makes its way up the Aoyagi slope
Aoyagi Ribō Inari Dashi-entry Procession Event
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Sunday in the March. Once every 7 years, the “Fox Wedding” procession takes place. / Once every 7 years, the “Fox Wedding” procession joins the event.
- Location
- Aoyagi Ribō Inari Shrine
- Area
- Nagano Prefecture・Chikuhoku Village(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 20 min–1 h 50 min · bullet train)Prefecture-level estimate to a main station or airport, not the venue. Airport access, check-in and onward travel are extra; remote areas and islands can take much longer.
- Highlights and activities
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
This is a festival at Ribō Inari Shrine, passed down in Aoyagi, Sakakita, Chikuhoku Village. Once every 7 years, a “Fox Wedding” based on an old-fashioned wedding procession joins the festivities, with people wearing fox masks and a procession dressed as a bride making its way up the slope.
About Aoyagi Ribō Inari Dashi-entry Procession Event
The Aoyagi Ribō Inari -entry procession event is a festival at an Inari shrine passed down in Aoyagi, Sakakita, Chikuhoku Village.
Once every 7 years, the “Fox Wedding” procession joins the event.
Against a background of Inari worship passed down in the Aoyagi district, a costumed procession evoking an old-fashioned wedding procession makes its way up the slope.
Source: 青柳宿 - 筑北村公式ホームページ / 青柳里坊稲荷神社狐の嫁入り - 信州の文化財 - 財団法人 八十二文化財団
Festival highlights
The main highlight is the “Fox Wedding” procession, featuring people wearing fox masks.
Led by performers carrying and singing the long-trunk song, the procession continues with the matchmaker, the headman and his wife, the groom, the long-trunk chest, the bride and attendants.
The bride rides in a bamboo palanquin, and the procession slowly makes its way up the slope toward the shrine, keeping step with the long-trunk song.
An Inari festival where the Fox Wedding procession makes its way up the Aoyagi slope
What to expect
In the procession, people dressed in fox masks or as female foxes and fox brides make their way through town in roles based on an old-fashioned wedding procession.
At the head of the procession, a performer sings the long-trunk song, and the participants walk to its rhythm.
The procession climbs the Aoyagi slope and heads to Ribō Inari Shrine.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Aoyagi Ribō Inari Shrine.
The location is Aoyagi, Sakakita, Chikuhoku Village, Higashichikuma District, Nagano Prefecture.
- Train and bus
It is a 3-minute walk from Sakakita Station on the JR Shinonoi Line.
- By car
It is a 6-minute drive from Omi IC on the Nagano Expressway.
Address Aoyagi, Sakakita, Chikuhoku Village, Higashichikuma District
Dates and season
- Season
Sunday in the March.
The “Fox Wedding” procession takes place once every 7 years.
- Frequency
Once every 7 years, the “Fox Wedding” procession joins the event.
Accommodation and hotels PR
Showing nearby accommodation.
Prices and availability are current at the time of retrieval. For multi-night stays, only the first night’s price is shown. Confirm the final price and directions to the venue with the booking provider. Select your dates again when using the area search link. Search area: within 3 km of Central Nagano Prefecture / Chikuhoku Village (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The procession moves slowly up the slope, so please watch from a place that does not obstruct traffic.
The event is described as a cultural property, but it may not always be open to viewing. Visitors are advised to check with the relevant cultural-property administration office before visiting.
It is a 3-minute walk from Sakakita Station and a 6-minute drive from Omi IC.
Nearby attractions
Near the venue is Aoyagi-juku, which developed as a post town along the Zenkōji Kaidō.
The post town is about 600 meters long, and its stone walls and sharply turning streets retain traces of its past as a post town.
The local sights to see alongside the festival include the landscape of a waterway running beneath stone walls and “Aoyagi no Yotō,” lanterns lit in the evening.
Origins and History of Aoyagi Ribō Inari Dashi-entry Procession Event
The “Fox Wedding” procession, which takes part in this event, is said to have begun in the early Showa period against a background of deep Inari worship in the Aoyagi district.
Based on traditional wedding processions, it has incorporated roles such as fox-mask wearers and a bride.
In recent years, it has been described as taking place the year after the Suwa Onbashira festival.
Official information
The Chikuhoku Village official website introduces the Ribō Inari Shrine festival, held on a Sunday in the March, and the “Fox Wedding” procession that takes place once every 7 years in its information about Aoyagi-juku.
The procession’s lineup and origins, as well as transport information, can also be found in the Shinshu cultural property guide.
The location is Aoyagi, Sakakita, Chikuhoku Village.
Aoyagi Ribō Inari Dashi-entry Procession Event at a Glance
At the Aoyagi Ribō Inari Dashi-entry procession event, the “Fox Wedding” procession, featuring fox masks and wedding roles, joins the festivities once every 7 years.
A distinctive feature is the procession of the bride, groom, matchmaker and others slowly climbing the Aoyagi slope to the long-trunk song sung by the performers.
The venue is Ribō Inari Shrine in Aoyagi, Sakakita, Chikuhoku Village, a 3-minute walk from Sakakita Station.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/19
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