A children’s rice-planting festival, with handmade lanterns brightening Kurokawa at night
Kurokawa Yotaka Festival
The 2026 edition of Kurokawa Yotaka Festival has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/08/22Ended
- Season / frequency
- Every year, on the Saturday closest to the 23rd of August / Every year
- Location
- Kurokawa Community Center and the entire Kurokawa area of Imizu City
- Area
- Toyama Prefecture・Imizu City(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h 10 min–2 h 40 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
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
A rice-planting festival where children carrying handmade Yotaka lanterns parade through the Kurokawa area alongside decorated with lanterns. The festival carries wishes for a bountiful harvest and good health, and has been passed down through the community.
About Kurokawa Yotaka Festival
The Kurokawa Yotaka Festival is a rice-planting festival passed down in the Kurokawa area of Imizu City, Toyama Prefecture.
The festival is held to pray for a bountiful harvest, peace, and good health, as children carry handmade Yotaka lanterns through the area.
In addition to the Yotaka lanterns, dashi decorated with lanterns also appear, and neighborhood associations support the festival.
Source: 黒河夜高祭 | イベント | 【公式】富山県の観光/旅行サイト「とやま観光ナビ」 / 黒河夜高祭 | 収蔵資料 | 射水市新湊博物館
Festival highlights
A highlight is seeing the handmade Yotaka lanterns made by children moving through the area at night.
The lanterns are made by attaching paper to wooden frames, which the children decorate with their own drawings.
A dashi decorated with lanterns joins the procession, and “Iwami Jūtarō’s Baboon Extermination” is performed at the competition venue at the end.
A children’s rice-planting festival, with handmade lanterns brightening Kurokawa at night
What to expect
At the festival, children gather in neighborhood groups, carry Yotaka lanterns, and pull dashi through the streets.
In the past, the procession traveled back and forth between Kurokawa Shrine and Saiyōji Temple, but today it makes 3 round trips along the streets before heading to the competition venue.
There, “Iwami Jūtarō’s Baboon Extermination” is performed, alongside the procession of lanterns and dashi.
How to take part
At the heart of the festival are the making and parade of Yotaka lanterns by children from 7 neighborhood associations.
Those wishing to watch can view the procession through the district and performances at the competition venue.
Yotaka lantern-making and the parade are carried out by local neighborhood associations and children.
Anyone wishing to take part in making lanterns needs to contact the Kurokawa Yotaka Festival Executive Committee.
Source: 黒河夜高祭 - Wikipedia
Location and access
- Venue and address
Kurokawa Community Center and the entire Kurokawa area of Imizu City.
Address: Plaza in front of the community hall in Kurokawa, Imizu City, Toyama Prefecture 939-0311.
- Train and bus
10 minutes by car from Kosugi Station on the Ainokaze Toyama Railway.
To reach Kurokawa Community Center, take a bus from Kosugi Station to Kurokawa Nishiguchi and walk 3 minutes, or take the Kitokito Bus to Kurokawa Ni-ku and walk 2 minutes.
- By car
10 minutes by car from Kosugi IC on the Hokuriku Expressway.
- Parking
There is parking for 30 cars at Kurokawa Community Center.
Source: 施設｜とやま学遊ネット
Address Plaza in front of the community hall in Kurokawa, Imizu City, Toyama Prefecture 939-0311
Dates and season
2026 event information (the listed dates have passed)
An event announcement for 2026 lists August 22 (Saturday).
It is said to be held on a Saturday close to August 23 in a typical year, and the date varies from year to year.
The festival features a procession of Yotaka lanterns and performances at the competition venue.
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 Toyama Prefecture / Imizu City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
Nearby attractions include Kenmin Park Taikoyama Land, the sunflower fields at Toyama Prefectural University, Toyama Children’s Future Museum, Nakayama Minami Ruins Park, and Yakushōji Pond Park.
The Genzō Takeuchi Memorial Museum in Imizu City and the Imizu City Kosugi Exhibition Hall are also suggested as places to visit nearby.
If visiting alongside the festival, check each facility’s operating status and what is open to the public.
射水市大島絵本館
富山県射水市にある博物館
射水市新湊博物館
富山県の博物館・美術館のスポットです。
Origins and History of Kurokawa Yotaka Festival
The Kurokawa Yotaka Festival is said to have begun around 1815, inspired by the legend of the Warring States-era warrior Iwami Jūtarō defeating a baboon.
It was formerly held on April 5, but after being suspended during the war, it was revived in 1975 as a children’s Yotaka lantern festival. In 1973, the time of year it was held was changed to August.
In 1990, it was designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of the former Kosugi Town.
Official information
Event details, the venue, and access information are provided on Toyama Prefecture’s official tourism website, Toyama Tourism Navi.
The phone number for the Kurokawa Yotaka Festival Organizing Committee (Imizu City Kurokawa Community Center) is also listed as a contact for festival inquiries.
Kurokawa Yotaka Festival at a Glance
The Kurokawa Yotaka Festival is a traditional event in the Kurokawa area of Imizu City, where children carry handmade Yotaka lanterns and parade through the streets alongside dashi.
The festival is held to pray for a bountiful harvest and good health. After the procession, “Iwami Jūtarō’s Baboon Extermination” is performed.
An event announcement lists August 22 (Saturday) for 2026. The venue is Kurokawa Community Center and the entire Kurokawa area.
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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