A festival in Yoka, where children pull flower-decorated floats and lion dancers bring the streets to life
Yoka Children’s Hikiyama Festival
The 2026 edition of Yoka Children’s Festival has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/09/23Ended
- Season / frequency
- Every year on April 29 and September 23 / Twice a year
- Location
- Yoka Shinmeigu Shrine and Yoka neighborhood
- Area
- Toyama Prefecture・Toyama 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
- Highlights and activities
- Wishes behind the festival
- Participation / viewing
- Spectators welcome
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
The Yoka Children’s Hikiyama Festival is held in spring and autumn in the Yoka district of Toyama City. The , children’s , and small hikiyama receive a purification rite at the , then parade through the neighborhood.
About Yoka Children’s Hikiyama Festival
The Yoka Children’s Hikiyama Festival comprises the spring festival of Yoka Shrine and the autumn festival of Shinmei Shrine, held in the Yoka district of Toyama City.
Twelve neighborhoods pull hikiyama floats, perform lion dances, and carry children’s mikoshi. After purification rites at the shrine, they process through their respective neighborhoods.
The hikiyama are small flower-decorated floats, and children help sustain the local festivals.
There is also a tradition of piling sand from Yaetsu Beach in front of homes, where the lion dance scatters it to purify the area.
Source: 四方子供曳山祭り - Wikipedia
Festival highlights
A highlight is the sight of small flower-decorated floats, resembling floats topped with flower umbrellas, moving through the neighborhood.
The hikiyama are about 3–4 meters tall and feature poles adorned with artificial flowers and 4 wheels.
Lion dancers, children’s mikoshi, and hikiyama process to the accompaniment of festival music, creating distinctive festival scenes in each neighborhood.
A traditional pulling song has been revived and is still passed down alongside the procession.
A festival in Yoka, where children pull flower-decorated floats and lion dancers bring the streets to life
What to expect
The festival begins with the hikiyama floats, lion dancers, and children’s mikoshi gathering at the shrine to receive purification rites.
Afterward, the hikiyama process through the neighborhood to the accompaniment of festival music. The lion dance scatters the sand piled in front of each home to purify the area, and the mikoshi makes its procession.
According to the autumn festival information, the mikoshi procession and hikiyama procession take place at separate times.
Source: 四方子供曳山祭り | 富山市 | 子供とお出かけ情報「いこーよ」
How to take part
Visitors can watch the event.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Yoka Shinmeigu Shrine and Yoka neighborhood (Shinmeicho, Yoka, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture)
- Train and bus
Take a bus from JR Toyama Station, get off at “Yoka Shinmeicho,” and walk about 2 minutes.
- By car
About 40 minutes from Toyama IC on the Hokuriku Expressway via National Route 41.
- Parking
There is no parking.
Address Shinmeicho, Yoka, Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture
Dates and season
2026 event information (the listed dates have passed)
The autumn festival in 2026 is scheduled for September 23 (Wednesday).
The mikoshi procession runs from around 9:40 a.m. to around 3:30 p.m., and the hikiyama procession from around 12:30 p.m. to around 2 p.m.
The Yoka Children’s Hikiyama Festival is held each year during the spring festival on April 29 and the autumn festival on September 23.
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 / Toyama City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The mikoshi procession and the hikiyama procession take place at different times, so choose when to visit based on which event you want to see.
There is no parking near the venue, and event details may change due to weather or circumstances on the organizers’ side.
As this festival procession passes through residential neighborhoods, please take care not to obstruct the procession or residents’ daily routes while watching.
Nearby attractions
ギャルリ・ミレー
富山県富山市にある美術館
佐藤記念美術館
富山県富山市の富山城址公園内にある美術館
富山市ガラス美術館
富山県富山市にある美術館
富山市ファミリーパーク
富山県の公園・庭園のスポットです。
富山市民俗民芸村
富山県富山市にある、博物館や資料館・美術館などを集積した集落
富山市科学博物館
富山県の博物館・美術館のスポットです。
富山市郷土博物館
富山県富山市の富山城址公園内にある博物館
富山県中央植物園
富山県の公園・庭園のスポットです。
富山県埋蔵文化財センター
富山県富山市にある埋蔵文化財の調査・研究、展示を行う施設
富山県水墨美術館
富山県富山市にある美術館
富山県美術館
富山県富山市にある美術館
富岩運河環水公園
富山県富山市にある公園
Origins and History of Yoka Children’s Hikiyama Festival
The hikiyama festival is said to have begun in the mid-Edo period. At first, lion dances, a mikoshi, and 6 hikiyama floats were pulled.
After they were destroyed in the great fire of 1945, smaller hikiyama were built after the war, and the festival was revived as a children’s hikiyama festival.
Since the spring festival of 2018, 12 floats have processed together in 2 rows of 6.
In 2019, a pulling song that had fallen out of use was revived through local research and creative work.
Official information
The Yoka Shrine official website is listed.
Yoka Children’s Hikiyama Festival at a Glance
The Yoka Children’s Hikiyama Festival is a local festival held in spring and autumn in the Yoka district of Toyama City.
Small flower-decorated floats, lion dancers, and children’s mikoshi receive purification rites at the shrine, then process through the neighborhood to the accompaniment of festival music.
Hikiyama culture, said to have begun in the mid-Edo period, continues to be passed down locally today, following its revival after the war and the revival of the pulling song.
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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