It looks like the Autumn Festival will be held at Kuchijinja Shrine in Yamaguchi-cho on Sunday, October 9.
Kuchijinja Shrine↓
Here it is on the map↓
The address is 3-14-30 Shimoyamaguchi, Yamaguchi-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo.
Overview of Kuchijinja Shrine’s Autumn Festival
This will apparently be the first Autumn Festival in three years. Kuchijinja Shrine has seven danjiri floats, so it may be one of the largest festivals of its kind in the city.
This is what it looked like in 2019. There were so many people!
It seems to be quite powerful and impressive.
The event date is Sunday, October 9
Schedule
- 10:30 a.m. Regular festival ritual (miko dance)
- 1:00 p.m. Shinko Festival
- 2:00 p.m. Yamaguchi Taiko dedication performance
- Around 2:00 p.m. Otabisho ritual
- Around 3:00 p.m. Danjiri shrine entry
Food stalls will be set up
A few stalls are expected to line the street outside the shrine.
List of Danjiri Route Maps
The danjiri floats in Yamaguchi-cho set off from five different areas, in addition to Kuchijinja Shrine’s mikoshi.
The route maps were available on Google Maps, so we’ve put them all together here so you can view them at once.
Shimoyamaguchi
Shimoyamaguchi apparently has two danjiri floats: a large one and a small one. The large danjiri is said to be one of the biggest in the Kansai region.
A clearer map with times listed is available here
Kamiyamaguchi
Records apparently show that Kamiyamaguchi’s large danjiri was built more than 150 years ago, during the Ansei era.
Kinsenji Lake
This one starts from scenic Kinsenji LakeNishi2 article. Among Yamaguchi’s danjiri, it’s apparently the only one equipped with brakes for downhill slopes. So danjiri can have brakes.
Nakano District
Nakano is located at the southernmost end of Yamaguchi-cho, right next to Arima Onsen.
Narai District
Narai is the northwesternmost area of Nishinomiya. They apparently carry a danjiri weighing about one ton with 42 people. That’s 23 kg per person, so it must be tough!!
Final Thoughts
With as many as seven danjiri floats gathering, this may be one of the largest festivals in Nishinomiya. However, you can basically assume there’s no parking in this area, so they ask that visitors “come by Sakura Yamanami Bus.” Yamaguchi-cho also has plenty of great places to eat, so you might want to use Nishi2’s gourmet articles as a reference and take this opportunity to visit.
