🏮 Basho Sai

芭蕉祭

Iga, Mie (Ueno Park) · Every year on 12 October

28 days to go
Rooms around Iga, Mie fill up while the festival is on.

The Basho Festival is held every year on October 12 at Ueno Park in Iga, Mie Prefecture. It is a Shigure-ki memorial service honoring the literary achievements of the haiku master Matsuo Basho and remembering his legacy. The event is held in Iga, Basho's hometown, and is organized with involvement from groups such as the Basho Memorial Association. It originates from admiration for Basho, who made travel his home as a wandering poet. On the preceding day, the 11th, a Basho Festival Commemorative Lecture is held, and on the 12th, the day of the festival, a ceremony takes place in front of the Haiseiden. Centered on Ueno Park, events such as haiku gatherings are held in various places around the city, offering ways to encounter Basho's achievements. After the ceremony ends, visitors can freely offer flowers to the statue of Basho inside the Haiseiden, which is one of the highlights.

Getting there

5 minutes on foot from Ueno-shi Station on the Iga Railway; 5 minutes by car from Nakase IC or Ueno-higashi IC on the Meihan National Highway. Parking available (paid).