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Tottori Shanshan Festival - 13th -15th August
Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture, San'in region / Chūgoku region
Getting There
The parade passes very close to Tottori Station. From there, you can follow the movement of the umbrellas through the city!
From Tokyo: ANA operates flights from Haneda Airport to Tottori. Flight time is about 75 minutes.
You can take the Tokaido Shinkansen from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka or Himeji Station and transfer to the Super Hakuto limited express train to Tottori.
History of the Tottori Shanshan Umbrella Dance
The Shanshan Festival's Bon-odori are known as kasa-odori (umbrella dances) and te-odori (hand dances). There are Bon-odori dance festivals all over Japan in the summer but a bon dance festival incorporating umbrellas at this scale is quite remarkable.
The name shan shan comes from the sound of bells ringing. The large decorative paper umbrellas adorned with small bells are shaken during the dancing.
According to a legend from the town of Kokufu, near Tottori City, an old man danced with an umbrella during a long drought until the day he died, and then the drought finally ended.
What to Expect
The dance festival was actually relocated to Tottori City Center decades ago so that more people could get to see the festivities. Tottori City gets quite crowded in anticipation of the festival but navigating through the crowds of spectators is generally quite manageable.
August 13th has a kind of opening ceremony to kick off proceedings.
14th is the busiest day.
15th has a fireworks display at the end of the day.
The groups dance in a parade with their brightly colored umbrellas from the Prefectural Office towards Tottori Station.
The parade route has plenty of the usual stalls selling hot food, drinks and toys for the children.
Before/After
Tottori really comes alive during this festival. We recommend checking out some of these sights while you are in the area.
Tottori Sand Dunes & Sand Museum
Uradome Coast
The Ame no Manai Springs
Nageire Hall at Sanbutsuji Temple
Mizuki Shigeru Road - A must for manga fans
Some Tottori tastes include:
Sashimi at the Karoichi Fish Market
Winter specialty: Matsuba-gani Crab - Sashimi, steamed or grilled
Gyukotsu Ramen with beef-bone broth
Nijisseiki Pears - The 20th Century Pear