Yokooka and Omori’s Little New Year: A Tradition Passed Down Through Fire, Song, and Children
Kamigo Little New Year Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- The January February weekday (traditionally centered around January 15) / Every year
- Location
- Yokooka area and Omori district, Nikaho City
- Area
- Akita Prefecture・Nikaho City(From Tokyo: approx. 3 h 40 min–4 h 10 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
- Wishes behind the festival
- Age restrictions
- Children take the lead. In Yokooka, elementary and junior high school students take part; in Omori, elementary school students and girls who have not yet started school are involved.
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
This Little New Year observance is held in Yokooka and Omori, Nikaho City, where children make their way through the village with drums and songs, burn Sae no Kami huts, and receive rice cakes.
About Kamigo Little New Year Festival
The Kamigo Little New Year Festival is a Little New Year observance passed down in the Yokooka area of Nikaho City and the Omori district.
It combines activities such as burning Sae no Kami huts, chasing away birds, and receiving rice cakes, with children from the village taking the lead.
The tradition also includes building huts from straw, setting them alight, and divining whether the harvest will be good or poor.
In Yokooka, it is also called the “Sae no Kami observance” and is an important folk event closely connected to local life.
Festival highlights
The main highlight is the burning of a Sae no Kami hut made of straw, with the harvest divined from how the fire burns and the direction of the smoke.
In Yokooka, 4 huts are set alight, and the children sing bird-chasing songs as they walk among the burned remains.
As the drums and singing echo through the village, the observance continues with the First Bird, Second Bird, and Third Bird.
In Omori, the custom of visiting the home of a newlywed bride, known as “Yome-tsutsuki,” has also been passed down.
Source: 国指定文化財等データベース
Yokooka and Omori’s Little New Year: A Tradition Passed Down Through Fire, Song, and Children
What to expect
In preparation for the observance, children collect straw and nusa ritual streamers from homes, while adults prepare materials for the huts.
After building and burning the huts, the children gather at a neighborhood association hall or another venue to practice the drums and songs, then parade through the village.
When visiting homes to receive rice cakes, participants are given rice cakes, sweets, and other items.
In Yokooka, after the elementary school children disperse, the junior high school students stay overnight at an inn and perform the Third Bird the following morning.
How to take part
The event is centered on children from the Yokooka and Omori communities, who take on preparations, the bird-chasing ritual, receiving rice cakes, and other tasks.
No information is provided on whether general visitors may take part in the event or whether observing is permitted.
Since the event involves walking through the community and includes scenes involving fire, visitors should avoid disrupting the local proceedings and should not enter any areas where entry is restricted.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Held around the 4 Sae no Kami sites in the Yokooka area of Nikaho City and in the Omori district.
The observance is not held at a single venue.
Event venue 秋田県にかほ市 にかほ市横岡地域
This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.
Dates and season
It is usually held on the February weekday of January, and in the past it was held around January 15.
In Yokooka, the hut burning, bird-chasing ritual, and rice-cake collecting take place on the same day, while the third bird ritual takes place the following morning.
In Omori, too, it is passed down as a Koshogatsu (Little New Year) event centered on January 15.
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 Akita Prefecture / Nikaho City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
As the straw huts are burned, do not get too close to the fire, and follow directions from event staff and the preservation association.
During the bird-chasing procession, children move through the village with drums and songs, so please watch from a place that does not obstruct traffic.
Some parts of the observance, such as visiting the home of a newlywed bride, take place in residents’ living spaces.
If taking photos or watching, please obtain the residents’ permission and participate quietly.
Nearby attractions
TDK歴史みらい館
秋田県にかほ市にある企業博物館
写真：掬茶 / CC BY-SA 4.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
フェライト子ども科学館
秋田県にかほ市にある科学館
写真：掬茶 / CC BY-SA 4.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
白瀬南極探検隊記念館
秋田県にかほ市の科学館
写真：掬茶 / CC BY-SA 4.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
金峰神社 (にかほ市)
にかほ市にある神社
写真：掬茶 / CC BY-SA 4.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·Origins and History of Kamigo Little New Year Festival
The date when this observance began, and when it was first held, are not known, but it has been passed down as a Little New Year custom in Yokooka and Omori.
On December 16, 1998, it was designated a nationally Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
It is one of the typical examples of Little New Year observances found throughout Japan, and is recognized in Akita Prefecture as a distinctive event seen in this area.
In recent years, because it has been difficult for children to gather on weekdays, the date has shifted from around January 15 to the January February weekday.
Official information
The National Cultural Properties Database provides details of the designation of the Kamigo Little New Year Festival as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, along with an explanation of the event.
Akita Prefecture’s “Akita Genki Mura” website describes the sequence of events in the Yokooka area and the recent dates on which they have been held.
Kamigo Little New Year Festival at a Glance
The Kamigo Little New Year Festival is a local Little New Year observance held in Yokooka and Omori, where children take the lead in activities such as burning Sae no Kami huts, chasing away birds, and receiving rice cakes.
The way the fire burns is used to divine whether the harvest will be good or poor. As the children make their way around the village with drums and songs, the observance reflects beliefs and customs rooted in everyday life.
It is also designated a nationally Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, and is now held annually on the January February weekday.
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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