Owara Kaze no Bon: A Classic Japanese Dance Festival

Cultural Snapshots

Guideto Japan

Travel

Sep 1, 2025

The Owara Kaze no Bon festival is known for its mysterious dancers with straw hats pulled down over their faces.

Dancing in the Street

Owara Kaze no Bon is a festival held every year from September 1 to 3 in the city of Toyama. Dancers stream down the street in matching yukata and straw hats pulled down low over their faces, creating a mysterious scene, accompanied by music played on taiko drums, kokyū (a stringed instrument played with a bow), and forlorn-sounding shamisen.

Early September is a blustery time, and typhoons are a common occurrence. This 300-year-old festival is held in hopes of a good harvest, with the dancers calling for protection from wind damage to the rice crops.

Toyama
festival