Flutes, taiko, and two styles of dance: an Obon circle preserving Niigata traditions in Takashima
Takashima Echigo Bon Odori Event
The 2026 edition of Takashima Echigo Event has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/08/14 〜 2026/08/16Ended
- Season / frequency
- During the period in August / Every year
- Location
- Takashima Children's Park
- Area
- Hokkaido・Otaru City(From Tokyo: approx. 1 h 30 min–2 h · flight time only)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
- Participation / viewing
- Open to public participation / spectators welcome
- Last updated
- 2026/11/11
A traditional Bon dance passed down in Otaru and Takashima and preserved by the local community.
About Takashima Echigo Bon Odori Event
The Takashima Echigo Bon Odori event is an Obon observance centered on Bon Odori, passed down in the Takashima district of Otaru City.
The Takashima district prospered through fishing from long ago, and cultural traditions from the Tsugaru region and Shiunji in Kitakambara District, Niigata Prefecture, were brought here through migration and exchange with mainland Japan.
In particular, the Bon dance brought by people from Shiunji has been preserved and passed down as a tradition rooted in the community.
Festival highlights
The highlight is the way the fast and unhurried dances are performed alternately as a single sequence, while retaining their two distinct forms.
Songs and accompanied by flutes and ring out from the , and accounts also describe the dancing circle expanding from a single ring to a double ring.
Another defining feature of Takashima Echigo Bon Odori is that it preserves forms of Bon dancing from before the modern era.
Flutes, taiko, and two styles of dance: an Obon circle preserving Niigata traditions in Takashima
What to expect
At the event, Bon dancing unfolds around the yagura to songs and hayashi accompanied by flutes and taiko.
One example describes alternating fast and unhurried dances, with the dancing circle changing from a single ring to a double ring.
The 2026 information also listed the Furubira Echigo Odori Preservation Society and the Ishikari Echigo Odori Preservation Society as expected participants.
How to take part
The 2026 information invited everyone to “dance together,” and included guidance that general visitors could join the dancing circle.
Otaru City's description also presents it as an event where local residents and people from Takashima, young and old, join the dancing circle one after another.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Takashima Children's Park, 16 Takashima 3-chome, Otaru City / next to Takashima Inari
- Train and bus
中央バス 高島3丁目発小樽駅行き最終20:14（2026年8月の案内）
- Parking
None
Address 16 Takashima 3-chome, Otaru City
Dates and season
2026 event information (the listed dates have passed)
2026年8月14日（金）〜16日（日）に開催予定と案内され、盆踊りは各日19:00〜21:00です。
高島子供盆踊りは同じ会場で各日17:00から案内されていましたが、高島越後盆踊りとは別の催しです。
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 Hokkaido / Otaru City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
In the 2026 information, visitors were advised that there are many mosquitoes in the park at night and were encouraged to bring items such as a jacket, gloves, and insect repellent.
帰りに中央バスを利用する場合は、高島3丁目発小樽駅行きの最終便が20:14発と案内されています。
Nearby attractions
Takashima Children's Park, the event venue, is next to Takashima Inari Jinja.
There is a stone monument to the Takashima Echigo Dance in the park.
Nearby facilities associated with the festival include a jinja and a stone monument, which you can visit together.
小樽オルゴール堂
北海道小樽市にあるオルゴールショップ · Museums
写真：松岡明芳 / CC BY-SA 3.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
小樽市総合博物館
北海道小樽市にある博物館
写真：Twilight2640 at Japanese Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0(resized and reformatted)
Photo source ·
日和山灯台
北海道小樽市にある灯台
Origins and History of Takashima Echigo Bon Odori Event
Takashima Echigo Bon Odori is said to have been brought by people who migrated to the Takashima district from Shiunji in Kitakambara District, Niigata Prefecture, around present-day Shibata City.
In northern Niigata, floods continued in the early Meiji period, and some people moved in search of work in Takashima, where herring fishing was thriving.
Over time, the tradition developed a form unique to the community. Today, it is preserved and passed down primarily by the Takashima Echigo Odori Preservation Society.
Official information
Otaru City's information page for the Takashima Echigo Bon Odori event introduces its origins and its status as a cultural property.
Event information is posted on the Otaru Tourism Association's official website, Otaru Portal, which also points to information from the preservation society.
Takashima Echigo Bon Odori Event at a Glance
Takashima Echigo Bon Odori is an Obon observance that has been preserved in the Takashima community, based on a Bon dance brought from Niigata.
Fast and unhurried dances alternate, and the dancing circle expands to songs and hayashi accompanied by flutes and taiko.
高島児童公園で開催され、2026年の案内では8月14日から16日まで、各日19:00〜21:00とされていました。
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/11/11
