Karatsu Kunchi
Karatsu Kunchi is the autumn festival of Karatsu Shrine in Karatsu, a castle and pottery town on the Genkai Sea coast of Saga Prefecture, and is held annually from November 2 to 4. Fourteen hikiyama floats, built between 1819 and 1876 from layers of lacquered washi paper over wooden frames and finished in gold and silver leaf, are hauled through the streets by hundreds of pullers in happi coats to chants of 'Enya, Enya' and 'Yoisa, Yoisa'. They take the shape of lion heads, samurai helmets, a red sea bream, a dragon and a turtle among others, and the largest weigh several tonnes. The middle day is the highlight: the floats are dragged off the paved road and across the soft sand of Nishinohama to the temporary shrine site, a slow struggle that can take most of an afternoon. The festival was inscribed by UNESCO in 2016 as part of Japan's float festivals, and the floats are displayed year-round at the Hikiyama Exhibition Hall.
Event information
| When | Usually held in early November; check the official site for the latest schedule |
|---|---|
| Where | Fukuoka |
| Access | The floats run through central Karatsu around Karatsu Shrine, a walk of roughly ten minutes from JR Karatsu Station; the Chikuhi Line and Karatsu Line connect the town with Fukuoka in a little over an hour. |
| Schedule status | Check the official site |
| Official information | Open the official site |
Practical tips
- Karatsu works well as a day trip from Fukuoka: the Chikuhi Line runs directly from Fukuoka's subway network, so you can travel without changing to a separate railway.
- The sand-hauling day at Nishinohama is the scene most visitors come for, and the beach is where the crowd concentrates.
- Accommodation in Karatsu is limited and books out for the festival; staying in Fukuoka or Saga city and commuting is the usual solution.
- If your trip misses early November, the Hikiyama Exhibition Hall lets you see the actual floats close up at any time of year.
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