A municipally designated intangible folk cultural property of Tatsunobe, Omitama City
Aoya Festival of Tatsunobe
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Area
- Ibaraki Prefecture・Omitama City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 10 min–1 h 30 min · limited express)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
- Last updated
- 2026/10/18
The Aoya Festival of Tachinobe is an annual event passed down among children in Tachinobe, Omitama City. The custom of delivering thatch chopsticks and talismans to homes carries wishes to ward off infectious disease and live long, healthy lives.
About Aoya Festival of Tatsunobe
Omitama City’s explanation introduces the Aoya Festival of Tachinobe as an event carried out by children.
The custom described as the current form is distributing chopsticks made from thatch stems and talismans to homes.
In some places, people also follow the custom of eating udon with the chopsticks they receive. A distinctive feature is the wish for freedom from illness and long life expressed through everyday life.
Source: 小美玉市：県指定・市指定文化財一覧
Location and access
- Address
Omitama City
Host municipality 茨城県小美玉市
This map shows the surrounding area, not the exact venue location.
Origins and History of Aoya Festival of Tatsunobe
In the past, on day 21 of lunar month 6, people built a small shrine from green bamboo and made a temporary shrine with a thatched roof.
The city’s cultural property explanation states that a was enshrined inside, and that finally the temporary shrine was carried to the nearby Sonobe River and set adrift.
The local tradition has changed from building a temporary shrine to distributing chopsticks and talismans.
Official information
Aoya Festival of Tatsunobe is listed in the “Intangible Folk Cultural Properties” section of Omitama City’s official website.
Its designation category is shown as “municipally designated.”
The city’s Lifelong Learning Division, Cultural Properties Section, is listed as the contact for inquiries about cultural properties.
参考資料：小美玉市：県指定・市指定文化財一覧
Aoya Festival of Tatsunobe at a Glance
The Aoya Festival of Tachinobe is a city-designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property that originated in a ritual involving a temporary shrine made of green bamboo and thatch, and has been passed down as a custom of distributing chopsticks and talismans.
Children visit homes in the community, sharing wishes for freedom from illness and long life.
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 Ibaraki Prefecture / Omitama City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
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Article updated: 2026/10/18
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