Kurayami Matsuri (The Darkness Festival) 🏮🏮Japan's best kept secret

To join this event please see below and send me a message on LINE. Without this, you will not find out our meeting point. EVERYONE needs to do this EVERY TIME, including those who have participated with me previously.

The Darkness Festival is Japan's best kept secret.

Claimed to be one of the oldest festivals in the Kanto region, there isn't anything like it in all of Japan. It happens every April 30th to May 6th at Okunitama Shrine and as the name implies, happens at night. The week's festivities include floats with men, women, and children performing in traditional costumes, dancing up and down the street.

Right outside of the station exit, the floats are lined up on the street facing the entrance to the Shrine. Each float has its own costume and color, and there are usually children performing alongside adults. The floats are lit up with lanterns and lights, and the city takes on a surreal atmosphere. The lanterns and floats make Fuchu look like the infamous hot spring town in the movie Spirited Away. The children perform for about an hour before they are pulled into a parade up and down the shrine. The floats sometimes end up side by side and an exuberant display of colours and dance ensues.

Various Shinto rituals are held during the seven days from April 30 to May 6 every year, but the most exciting event is the "Mikoshi togyo (portable shrine procession)" on May 5, when six large drums are sounded to signal the start of fireworks, and eight portable shrines move to Otabisho (the intersection of the old Koshu-kaido and Fuchu-kaido roads).

The mikoshi procession departs the shrine at 18:00 on May 5 and continues until around 21:00
The name "Kurayami Matsuri" comes from the fact that this "Mikoshi togyo" used to be held in the dark, with all the lights in the city turned off.

Mikoshi Togyo (2024 event)

◾️After you have applied to join this event, please contact Mark Sensei via the Line application quoting your FULL NAME and this message: [Kurayami Matsuri - 5th May] MARK's LINE ACCOUNT
If you would like to bring a guest, please ask me via Line.

◾️参加されるイベントの名前(フルネーム)と日付を付けてマーク先生にLINEしてください。
例:[Kurayami Matsuri - 5th May] MARK's LINE ACCOUNT
定員の都合上、お連れ様がいる時は事前にLINEでご相談ください。

We will meet at Fucchu station at 5pm. Please kindly ensure you arrive punctually.

Fuuchu is a small city 20 minutes outside of the heart of Tokyo. Normally a quiet town, it's home to Okunitama Shrine, one of the largest shrines in the Kanto area.

The Shrine was founded during the 2nd century AD, and was renamed Okunitama during the Meiji period. The Kurayami festival which is centered around Okunitama Shrine, is also associated with Utagaki which is an ancient ritual gathering of peasants and farmers.

This cultural significance has continued into modern times as teenage boys and girls usually go to the festival together on dates, so the festival has a very strong youth turnout.

During all this the shrine is incredibly busy, with food stalls and games at every corner. There is even a haunted house. The three major events are the horse ride which takes place on the first night, the giant taiko drum floats which happen on the second night, and then the all night shrine event happens on the third to the fourth. The shrine carrying is very rowdy and goes on till the morning.

Words cannot describe just how beautiful this festival really is. If you're in Japan during this time, it is a must-see.

Event blog
Event schedule

Event fee:
¥800 - early discount if you pay by 26th April (PayPay, or in cash at an earlier event).
¥1250 if you pay between 27th April- 4th May early evening (PayPay, or in cash at an earlier event).
¥1500 in cash on the event day (5th May) - please bring the correct money (see the NOTE below).

NOTE: requesting to pay on the day of the event is upon the understanding that you will either attend the event OR arrange for the event fee to be paid via PayPay within 24 hours. Failure to do so may result in your removal from the group. See the cancellation policy below.

If you don't have PayPay, please ask a friend or coworker to do the transaction for you (give them cash!).

Cancellation policy:

• Full refund given if cancellation is notified BY LINE MESSAGE at least 24 hours before the event start time.
• Cancellation within 24 hours of the event start time or no-showing requires full payment of the event fee.

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After the event, you may submit a review/evaluation. Please kindly rate appropriately as a low evaluation has an impact on the group. Things you should clearly understand in advance:

1. I (Mark) am not a tour guide. For many events this will also be my first time, and events are mainly organised based on intensive internet research.
2. Nature cannot be guaranteed, so flower festivals may be impacted by the recent climate.
3. We aim to depart on time, however bus schedules might change. This is unavoidable.
4. We request participants arrive EARLY. In rare cases we might wait a few minutes if we do not need to take a bus.
5. The number of participants is not guaranteed. However we will not have large groups.
6. The event finish time might be earlier or later than advertised. The hiking time might be longer/shorter than anticipated. Return bus times are not guaranteed.

How to calculate your review appropriately:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars) = Everything was as described.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars) = The event was generally ok, but there were a few things that you weren't happy with (please provide further details).
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars) = The event was disappointing (please provide further details).
⭐️⭐️ (2 stars) = The event was poor (please provide further details).
⭐️ (1 star) = The event was terrible (please provide further details).