A summer tradition in Kisakata: welcoming and sending off ancestors with seaside Bon huts and fire
Kisakata Bon Hut Ceremony
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- Every year, from August 12 through the 15th / Every year
- Location
- Ooma Beach (Ooma Beach Swimming Area)
- 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.
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
A traditional event in Kisakata, Nikaho City, where Bon huts are built by the sea and welcoming and farewell fires are used to welcome and send off the spirits of ancestors.
About Kisakata Bon Hut Ceremony
The Kisakata Bon Hut Ceremony is a Bon Festival event passed down in Kisakata, Nikaho City, Akita Prefecture.
Huts are built on the beach using straw and wood. Welcoming fires greet the spirits of ancestors, and farewell fires send them away across the sea.
Passed down by 5 settlements in the Kisakata district, this event brings local people together carrying lanterns and incense, and is rooted in beliefs connecting the sea and ancestors.
It has also been selected as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property for which measures such as the creation of records should be undertaken by the national government.
Source: 国指定文化財等データベース
Festival highlights
At Ooma Beach, 5 Bon huts stand at roughly equal intervals, one for each settlement.
Stakes are driven into the sand, wooden frames are built, and bundles of straw are used to cover the roofs and sides of the huts.
The altar is adorned with ancestral tablets, seasonal vegetables, fruit, flowers, and candles, while Chinese lantern plants, sweets, and other items are hung up.
At night, children gather around the welcoming and farewell fires, chanting words to welcome their ancestors and then send them off.
A summer tradition in Kisakata: welcoming and sending off ancestors with seaside Bon huts and fire
What to expect
Early in the morning on the 12th, people from each district gather on the beach to build Bon huts.
In the evening, local people visit the huts, light candles, offer incense, and pray facing the sea at the water’s edge.
From around 7 p.m., welcoming fires are lit, and children chant while carrying lanterns.
On the night of the 15th, the huts are burned as farewell fires, and people chant the same words as they send the spirits of their ancestors away across the sea.
Location and access
- Venue and address
The event takes place on the beach at Ooma Beach (Ooma Beach Swimming Area).
Source: じいだ、ばんばぁだの「盆小屋行事」 | 秋田のがんばる集落応援サイト あきた元気ムラ
Event venue 秋田県にかほ市 大澗海岸
This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.
Dates and season
It is held annually from August 12 to the 15th.
On the early morning of the 12th, Obon huts are built. A welcoming fire is lit at night, and on the night of the 15th, the huts are burned as a farewell fire.
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
Huts for the Bon Festival are built on the beach using straw and wood, and welcoming and farewell fires are lit at night.
If you come to observe, take care not to get too close to the fire or water’s edge, and quietly observe as local people offer incense and pray.
Please follow the local organizers’ instructions regarding event times and visitor guidance.
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 Kisakata Bon Hut Ceremony
The Bon Hut Ceremony is a Bon Festival tradition passed down along the coast of Kisakata.
In the past, elementary and junior high school boys handled the preparations and proceedings without adult help. However, due in part to the declining birthrate, adults also began taking part in the late Showa 50s.
Wheat straw was replaced with rice straw, and today the preservation groups from five districts prepare the materials.
In 2008, it was selected as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property for which measures such as the creation of records should be undertaken by the national government.
Official information
The Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Database of Nationally Designated Cultural Properties provides details about the Kisakata Bon Hut Ceremony, including its name, location, description, public viewing period, and preservation group.
The preservation group is the Kisakata Town Bon Hut Ceremony Preservation Society.
Kisakata Bon Hut Ceremony at a Glance
The Kisakata Bon Hut Ceremony is a traditional event held by the seaside in Kisakata, Nikaho City, where ancestors are welcomed and sent off through Bon huts and fire.
August 12, 5 Bon huts are built and welcoming fires are lit; on the night of the 15th, the huts are burned as farewell fires.
Against the backdrop of a belief that ancestors come from the sea and return to it, this intangible folk cultural property has been preserved and passed down by local people.
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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