Jantokoi Uozu Festival

Every August, the coastal city of Uozu in Toyama Prefecture bursts into life with the Jantokoi Uozu Festival - its biggest annual celebration and a vibrant showcase of local tradition, artistry, and community pride. Held each year from the first Friday of August, the festival transforms the city into a stage for centuries-old customs, modern performances, and unforgettable summer scenes.

The Tatemon Festival - Towering Lantern Floats of Suwa Shrine

At the heart of the Jantokoi Festival is the Tatemon Festival, a grand ritual of Suwa Shrine and a recognised UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Held on the first Friday and Saturday of August (7 and 8 August in 2026), this event features seven towering boat-shaped floats - each about 15-16 metres tall and hung with more than 90 lanterns - paraded through the streets on wheel-less, sled-like bases pulled by teams of participants. Unusually for a Japanese float, the tatemon has no wheels, making it a rare sight nationwide.

Weighing around five tonnes each, these tatemon are said to resemble fishing boats and represent over 300 years of maritime prayer for a good catch and safety at sea. Dedicated to Suwa Shrine, the guardian shrine of fishermen, the festival was inscribed on the UNESCO list in 2016 as part of the "Tatemon event of Uozu." With glowing lanterns, the fervour of the shrine parishioners, and the fast-paced festival music echoing through the summer night, the Tatemon Festival brings the celebration to a close on both evenings.

Serikomi Choroku

Closing out the entire festival on Sunday evening is the Serikomi Choroku dance parade. Performed by around 2,500 participants waving fans like fluttering butterflies, this traditional folk dance blends elegance, energy, and deep cultural roots. It was brought to the area during the Edo period by travelling goze musicians and later took root as a Bon Festival performance held in temple and shrine grounds to honour ancestors and pray for a bountiful harvest.

The dance is said to resemble butterflies dancing in paradise, which is how it earned its name, and the fan is used as a symbol of good fortune. Designated a city Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 1963, the tradition is kept alive through local primary schools, which teach the choreography so that most people raised in Uozu can perform it. Teams from local districts, companies, and organisations each bring their own flair to the parade, and the festival draws to its close with a model performance by the Uozu Serikomi Choroku Preservation Society.

Fireworks Over the Sea

A festival favourite for more than 50 years, the Uozu Sea Fireworks Festival takes place on the Saturday evening. Around 2,000 fireworks are launched from two barges off the Kurobe side of Uozu Port, creating dazzling reflections across the water. First held in 1970, the display became a central part of the festival from the first Jantokoi Uozu Festival onwards. With no buildings to obstruct the view, the open setting along Shinkiro Road offers breathtaking views and easy access to food and drink at the nearby Umi no Eki Shinkiro.

UO! JAZZ

For those who enjoy a soundtrack to their summer, UO! JAZZ delivers a relaxing, seaside concert on the Saturday. Now in its ninth edition, the event is set against the backdrop of the setting sun, and its climax is a "super session" by the performers, staged in collaboration with the fireworks rising behind them. Full details are available on the official UO! JAZZ website.

Candle Road

Adding a soft, magical glow to the festival is the Uozu Candle Road, which winds through the city. Hundreds of candles light the streets, parks, temples, and shrines - creating a contemplative mood that invites exploration and reflection.

Kyoda Tanabata Festival

Rounding out the Jantokoi celebrations is the Kyoda Tanabata Festival, a community-centred event in Uozu's eastern Kyoda district.