Yuyaonsen Hana Festival Tour
About the tour
Available on Saturday nights in February, this tour is a great introduction to the mysteries of deeper mountain ceremonies and culture. First we share an easy introduction to Japanese culture, then we all go to the festival, where you can see the designated 'Intangible Cultural Property' of the Hana Festival itself.
At the end of the Hana Festival, a local Japanese drum (taiko) group perform, with a special finale using burning drum sticks.
What we'll do in detail (over roughly 4 hours)
Meet at Yuyaonsen Station at 6:30pm, then an easy introduction
We'll meet at Yuyaonsen Station and cross the road to HooHoo Guesthouse for an easy introduction to the culture behind the Hana Festival. You'll see things that will help you understand the culture in other areas of Japan too, and a few mysteries!
We can adjust the starting time slightly to account for dinner serving times at the ryokan inns around Yuyaonsen, or if you are getting dinner somewhere else.
Walk to the festival grounds
We'll have some time to prepare what we need and walk across the river using the footbridge to the festival grounds. It's a short walk, about 5-10 minutes. We'll briefly show you around the festival cauldron area (where we can).
During the Hana Festival
During the festival we'll help you to understand what's going on, and to make sure you don't miss any photo opportunities (like a photo with the devils). We'll also help you to get involved where you can, and to let you know when the popular chaotic part will begin.
Walk back across the river, roughly 10pm
After the festival we'll walk back across the river with you for the end of the tour (most accommodation is on the other side).
Price
¥8,000/person, minimum group of 2.
Please see inclusions and exclusions and other details in the FAQs on this page.
Where is Yuyaonsen?
The tour and festival happens at Yuyaonsen, Shinshiro City. We can only recommend this tour if you are staying at accommodation nearby, and there's plenty to choose from. We can also help you to choose and book accommodation on a package tour including this tour.
Interested? Get in touch!
FAQs and details
Days and times (Saturday nights in February only)
This tour is only available on Saturday nights in February. We start soon after 6pm, and finish around 10pm after the festival ends.
What is included/excluded in the price?
Included in the tour:
- Introduction to the festival at HooHoo Guesthouse - regardless of where you are staying.
- Entry to the festival is free, and amazake (warm, sweet rice drink) is available for free.
Not included in the tour:
- Alcohol and food that may be available from stalls at the Hana Festival.
What do I need for the tour?
- Warm clothing - February can be very cold!
- Accommodation nearby - realistically it would be very hard to travel to another area's accommodation after the tour.
- Travel insurance - we require all guests to have travel insurance for any of our tours.
Cancellation and weather cancellations (the festival doesn't run on rainy days)
For this tour in particular, we have two options in case of rain, as the festival does not run on rainy days.
In case of rain:
Option 1: Tour is cancelled, with a refund given.
Option 2: We run an extended introduction to Japanese culture (roughly 2 hours), with a 50% refund.
For more general conditions please see our page on Tour Policies and Conditions