🏮 Monbetsu Shishamo Matsuri

門別ししゃも祭り

Hokkaido · Dates to be confirmed

Food stalls

The Monbetsu Shishamo Festival is held in Monbetsu, Hidaka Town, Hokkaido, and is a traditional event celebrating shishamo (a small fish also known as willow leaf fish), an autumn delicacy gifted by the Saru River, one of Japan's clearest streams. Organized by an executive committee, it has been held every year in October during the peak season. The Hidaka region has long been a prized shishamo production area, known for the fatty shishamo that swim upstream in the Saru River to spawn. This festival, which had reached its 50th edition, features fresh fish sold cheaper than market price and dishes such as shishamo sushi, drawing many visitors from early morning. At the venue, there are activities such as grabbing live shishamo by hand, a contest to quickly prepare shishamo dried on racks, and stage events. Another attraction is grilling the shishamo you buy on large charcoal grills and eating it. Due to declining fish stocks in recent years, the 2024 event was canceled, but there are hopes for resource recovery and the next holding.