🏮 Marimo Matsuri
まりも祭り
Kushiro, Hokkaido (Akan Lake Onsen) · Every year on 8 October
24 days to go
Rooms around Kushiro, Hokkaido fill up while the festival is on.
The Marimo Festival is held every year in early October at Akan Lake Hot Springs in Akan Town, Kushiro City, Hokkaido. It is an event whose purpose is the protection of marimo, which are a Special Natural Monument of Japan. The festival has been held since 1950 to protect marimo, which were once on the verge of extinction. Based on the Ainu tradition of offering prayers to the gods and returning marimo to the lake, a solemn ceremony is performed. In addition to the "ceremony to welcome the marimo," there is the "ceremony to send off the marimo," in which dugout canoes are floated on Akan Lake and the marimo are returned to the lake water by the hands of Ainu men. Other highlights include a torch procession and a competition of Ainu folk dance, and along with the sacred atmosphere, visitors can experience Ainu culture up close.
Getting there
About 60 minutes by bus from Kushiro Airport. Parking available (500 spaces, 410–510 yen).
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