Ikaho Festival, day two (19 September)
On 19 and 20 September, taru-mikoshi — barrel shrines that are a hallmark of the Ikaho Festival — work their way up the Stone Steps and make the festival still livelier.
Each taru-mikoshi is made mainly from sake barrels and four logs. The town’s Wakaren, a group of men in their twenties and thirties, build them by hand every year. The climb up the steep Stone Steps is vigorous, and the barrels sometimes tumble down the steps. It is a scene of real excitement.
19 September
- From 11:30: procession of the main mikoshi (Ikaho Shrine grounds)
- From 12:45: children’s float departs (Dandan Plaza)
- From 17:30: taru-mikoshi (from in front of Marumoto-kan along the Stone Steps)
- From 19:00: the main mikoshi climbs the Stone Steps (from in front of Marumoto-kan to the shrine grounds)
- From 20:40: return of the main mikoshi (Ikaho Shrine grounds)
- 23:00: taru-mikoshi ends
Come to the Stone Steps to see the taru-mikoshi and the main mikoshi climb. The full festival is in Ikaho Festival, 18–20 September. If you are driving, see also Ikaho Festival traffic on 19 September. Details are on the Ikaho Festival page of the Shibukawa Ikaho Onsen Tourism Association.