Noji’s spring festival, with futon dashi and the sound of Shishi Taiko
Noji Spring Festival
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Season / frequency
- The 4th Saturday of March each year and the following Sunday / Every year
- Location
- Saizaki Noji, Mihara City, centered around Tokiwa Shrine
- Area
- Hiroshima Prefecture・Mihara City(From Tokyo: approx. 3 h 50 min–4 h 20 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
- Wishes behind the festival
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
The Noji Spring Festival, passed down in Saizaki Noji, Mihara City, is a local festival known for the spirited procession of futon and the dedication of Shishi performances.
About Noji Spring Festival
The Noji Spring Festival is held every year in Noji, Saizaki-cho, Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture. Futon dashi accompany the from Tokiwa Shrine.
The festival has been passed down in this fishing community as a prayer for a good catch and is also known as the “Festival of the Shore.”
This is a festival rooted in Noji, where young men from the neighborhood carry the dashi and local residents support preparations and operations.
Source: 能地春祭り - Wikipedia
Festival highlights
The main highlight is the dashi decorated with 7 futon mattresses.
Children wearing makeup and festive outfits ride aboard, while young men carry the dashi on their shoulders or pull it through the neighborhood as the drums are played.
The spirited scenes that define the festival include “kenka,” when dashi collide with one another, and Shishi Taiko featuring lion dancing and flute music.
Source: 能地春祭のふとんだんじり - 三原市ホームページ
Noji’s spring festival, with futon dashi and the sound of Shishi Taiko
What to expect
During the Shinko-sai, when a mikoshi departs from Tokiwa Shrine, futon dashi from each neighborhood from 1-chome to 4-chome accompany it.
Children ride on the dashi and beat drums as young men carry or pull it through the neighborhood.
During the festival, dashi collide with one another, and Shishi Taiko performances are dedicated at 3 shrines in the neighborhood.
How to take part
Traditionally, the festival participants were mainly residents of neighborhoods along the coast. In recent years, however, amid population decline, participants have been recruited from across the entire community.
The festival is carried out by local participants in specific roles, including young men who carry the danjiri and boys who ride on it.
Whether general visitors can take part as festival participants should be confirmed in the event information for that year.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Saizaki Noji, Mihara City, centered around Tokiwa Shrine.
Mikoshi and futon dashi make their way through the neighborhood.
Address Saizaki Noji, Mihara City
Dates and season
It is usually held on the 4th Saturday of March and the following Sunday.
As Tokiwa Shrine’s spring festival, it features the mikoshi’s departure from the shrine and futon danjiri accompanying it.
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 Hiroshima Prefecture / Mihara City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Nearby attractions
広島県立中央森林公園
広島県三原市にある森林公園
Origins and History of Noji Spring Festival
The precise founding date of the Noji Spring Festival has not been confirmed, but it has been passed down in Noji, a thriving fishing community, as a festival praying for a good catch.
It is said that futon dashi began to be used sometime between the Tenpo and Meiji eras.
Futon dashi were designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Hiroshima Prefecture in 1995, and Shishi Taiko was designated an Intangible Cultural Property of Mihara City in 1974.
Official information
Mihara City’s official website cultural property page provides information about when the futon dashi appear at the Noji Spring Festival, the location, festival activities, and cultural property designations.
Noji Spring Festival at a Glance
The Noji Spring Festival is a local spring festival held mainly around Tokiwa Shrine in Saizaki Noji, Mihara City.
Young men carry dashi decorated with 7 futon mattresses, accompanied by children’s drumming and collisions between dashi.
Shishi Taiko performances are also dedicated, preserving local traditions that pray for a good catch and bountiful harvests.
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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