Name: Lantern Rubbing Festival
Start: 2025-12-03
End: 2025-12-03
Location: Nogi Shrine

Tochigi Tochigi

December 3, 2025 (Wednesday) <Held on the same day every year>

Lantern Rubbing Festival

提灯もみ祭り

The "Lantern Rubbing Festival" is a traditional winter event held at Nogi Shrine in Tochigi Prefecture. This festival has a long history dating back to 1201 and is held every year on the night of December 3rd. The festival is characterized by parishioners bringing colorful lanterns and vigorously bumping them together. It is an important cultural heritage that fosters community bonds across centuries. A short taxi ride from Nogi Station on the JR Utsunomiya Line will get you to Nogi Shrine. The highlight of the festival is the magical light landscape created by the lanterns in the night sky. Visitors can enjoy a parade through the shrine grounds and admire lanterns with different designs from each region. This year, special events are planned, offering a unique and unparalleled experience. There's no reason for visitors not to experience this. Enjoy the unique culture as you witness the clash of lanterns with the locals, and you're sure to have an exhilarating night filled with cheers that shake the air.

- The Chochin Momi Festival is a traditional event that has continued since the Ken'nin era of the Kamakura period (1201–1204) and is said to have originated from the "Shichigo Meguri," where the divine spirit of Nogi Shrine tours seven parishioner regions. - The festival is held annually on December 3rd, where parishioners attach lanterns to the ends of bamboo poles, light them, and engage in a unique custom of striking them against each other to extinguish the opponent's fire. - On the day of the festival, the Kagura dedication ceremony starts at 5:00 PM, the Kagura performance begins at 6:00 PM, and the Chochin Momi starts at 7:00 PM, with the festival's excitement building throughout the night.

〒329-0114 2404 Nogi, Nogi-machi, Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture

Place：Nogi Shrine

Transportation：Approximately 10 minutes by taxi from the west exit of Nogi Station on the JR Utsunomiya Line About 40 minutes by car from Kazo IC on the Tohoku Expressway About 40 minutes by car from Sano Fujioka IC on the Tohoku Expressway

Time：■Kagura Dedication Festival: from 17:00　■Kagura Performance Starts: from 18:00　■Lantern Momi Opening: from 19:00

Contact：0280-55-0208

https://www.tochigiji.or.jp/event/e17169