Higashiyokota’s summer event: sending off pests and entrusting them to fire and river
Higashiyokota Mushiokuri Event
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Augustfirst Sunday / Every year
- Location
- Higashiyokota district (around Iwano Bridge at the village boundary)
- Area
- Nagano Prefecture・Nagano City(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.
- Features
- Highlights and activities
- Last updated
- 2026/10/20
An insect-sending event passed down in the Higashiyokota district of Yokota, Shinonoi, Nagano City, and led by children. Through the chant, torches, and insect cage, crop pests and diseases associated with farm work are sent out of the village.
About Higashiyokota Mushiokuri Event
The Higashiyokota Mushiokuri Event is an annual community event that continues in the Higashiyokota district of Yokota, Shinonoi, Nagano City.
This custom of sending off insects drives crop pests and diseases associated with farm work out of the village. As participants walk through the area, they chant “Nanomushi okure.”
One distinctive feature is that local children take charge of the event.
Festival highlights
A highlight is the procession walking through the area while chanting “Nanomushi okure.”
Torches are lit at the foot of Iwano Bridge on the village boundary, and an insect cage is burned midway across the bridge.
The event’s memorable conclusion combines fire and water: an insect cage is sent down the Chikuma River.
Higashiyokota’s summer event: sending off pests and entrusting them to fire and river
What to expect
During the event, children from the district walk through the community as part of the insect-sending procession, repeating the chant.
Then, torches are lit at the foot of Iwano Bridge on the village boundary, and an insect cage is burned midway across the bridge.
The event concludes when the insect cage is sent down the Chikuma River.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Higashiyokota district, Yokota, Shinonoi, Nagano City / The event takes place as the group walks through the district and around Iwano Bridge at the village boundary
Address Higashiyokota district, Yokota, Shinonoi, Nagano City
Dates and season
- Season
Augustfirst Sunday
- Frequency
Every year
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 / Nagano City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
This event is introduced as a cultural property, but visitors may not necessarily be able to observe it.
If you plan to visit, you must contact the relevant cultural-property protection administration department in advance.
Nearby attractions
北野美術館
長野県長野市にある美術館
戸隠神社
長野県長野市の戸隠山周辺に五社を配する神社
長野県信濃美術館・東山魁夷館
長野県長野市にあった美術館
長野県立美術館
長野県長野市にある美術館
写真：photo: Qurren ( talk ) Taken with Canon PowerShot G9 X / CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo source ·Origins and History of Higashiyokota Mushiokuri Event
According to the source materials, the Higashiyokota Mushiokuri Event dates to the Edo period.
The custom of sending off insects to drive crop pests and diseases associated with farm work out of the village was practiced throughout Japan, and was also widespread in Nagano City.
Although only a few communities are said to continue the custom today, Higashiyokota’s event is documented as one led by local children.
Official information
The Higashiyokota Mushiokuri Event is listed in Nagano City’s official list of city-designated cultural properties.
It is listed as an “intangible folk cultural property for which measures such as record creation should be undertaken.”
The event’s location and details can also be found in the Shinshu Cultural Properties description.
Source: 市指定文化財一覧 - 長野市公式ホームページ
Higashiyokota Mushiokuri Event at a Glance
The Higashiyokota Mushiokuri Event is an annual community event led by children in the Higashiyokota district of Yokota, Shinonoi, Nagano City.
The group walks through the area chanting “Nanomushi okure,” lights torches at Iwano Bridge, burns an insect cage, and sends it down the Chikuma River.
The event passes down a custom of sending off insects that dates back to the Edo period, in a form linked to farm work.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/20
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