Featured Events in Kumamoto in October, 2024 (July Updated)

Every year on October 9th and 10th, thousands of visitors flock to Takayama for the huge Autumn Takayama Festival. The festival is a celebration of thanksgiving and marks the start of preparations for winter. The festival features colorful and ornately decorated floats. Some floats are topped with mechanical puppets, which puppeteers manipulate to perform traditional dances at set times; performances usually take place around morning and noon. After dark on the 9th, the evening celebrations begin with a parade of 100 lantern-lit floats through the town.