Published October 20, 2026 at 2:54 PM JST

In Nanao, on Ishikawa's Noto Peninsula, three towering floats about twelve meters tall are hauled by hand through the streets every early May, with visitors welcome on the ropes.

Quick answer: The Seihaku Festival, or Seihakusai, is the spring festival of Otokonushi Shrine in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, famed for three enormous floats called deka-yama, which are often described as the biggest hikiyama floats in Japan. It is typically held from May 3 to 5, with a doll-viewing evening on May 2, though the organizers set the exact program each year. Visitors can even take hold of the ropes, and the festival is part of the UNESCO-listed Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals.

Meet the deka-yama of Nanao

Nanao is a port city on the Noto Peninsula, which juts into the Sea of Japan from the middle of Ishikawa Prefecture. Each spring its center is home to one of the biggest float festivals in the country, the Seihakusai. The name of the festival is usually written with characters meaning green oak, and an English-language guide from the Kanazawa region explains that oak leaves are placed beneath the offerings.

The stars are three giant floats, nicknamed deka-yama, meaning simply big floats. Each is about twelve meters tall, according to the Nanao tourism information, and weighs roughly twenty tons, although one regional guide gives a lower figure, so the weight is best described as many tons. Every guide agrees on the bottom line: they are among the largest festival floats in Japan, and a town street seems small when one rolls into view.

The festival is held in the center of Nanao around Otokonushi Shrine, and the floats also gather near the harbor area close to the food market. Nanao is counted among the great festivals of Ishikawa and the Hokuriku region. The festival belongs to the group of four major Nanao festivals, which includes the Ishizaki Hoto Festival, the Kumagabu Festival and the fire festival at Notojima Mukaida, according to a tourism page about a local festival museum.

History and origins

The origin of the Seihakusai is not entirely clear, and the sources tell it in a few ways. One tradition says the festival was set up in the year 981 by the governor of the province. A regional festival guide also gives an account that dates the first float to 1473, when Hatakeyama Yoshimune, a lord of the Noto region, is said to have donated a float modeled on the great floats of Kyoto's Gion festival. An English guide from the Kanazawa area notes that the festival was once held on a day in April on the old calendar.

The float tradition is closely linked with the cultural flowering of the Hatakeyama family in the fifteenth century, when people from Kyoto brought culture to Noto, according to a Japanese festival guide. In the Edo period the town prospered as a port of call for the northern trading ships, and that wealth helped support the festival.

The Japanese government designated the Seihakusai a nationally important intangible folk cultural property in 1983. In December 2016 it was inscribed together with 32 other festivals on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Three towns, three floats

Each of the three floats belongs to one of the old neighborhoods of Nanao: Fuchu-machi, Kaji-machi and Uo-machi. The English guide lists the crest of each district, so spectators can recognize which float they are seeing, and each float is dressed with multicolored flags bearing its district's crest, according to a Japanese festival page.

The floats are assembled for each festival, which is a significant undertaking, and a Japanese reference says that assembly takes about a month. Their base stands on wheels about two meters across, according to a regional festival guide, and the upper part is a stage. Each float is topped with lifelike dolls dressed in costume, depicting famous scenes from kabuki theater. The scene is chosen each year, and the dolls are prepared in the neighborhoods.

On the evening of May 2, the dolls are on view in a tradition called ningyo-mi, doll viewing, in homes and community spaces, according to the English guide and a Japanese reference. It is a gentle prelude to the festival and gives people a close look at the kabuki scenes before the dolls are lifted on the floats.

Pulling and turning the floats

The deka-yama are pulled by hand with thick ropes. A regional festival guide says that about 300 people pull each float. A Japanese reference explains that three ropes are used: local young people take the front rope, while the rear rope is open to visitors and children. The tourism information from Nanao says that visitors are welcome to join, which is a rare chance to take part in a UNESCO-listed festival.

Women now take part in the pulling too, according to the English guide. If you want to join, comfortable shoes are essential, and the Ohmatsuri festival guide advises against high heels and slippers. Many pullers wear happi coats, and the crowd calls out as the floats roll.

The most dramatic moment is the turning of a corner, known as tsuji-mawashi. Because these floats are too large and heavy to turn like a cart, teams use a huge wooden lever about eight meters long, called an oh-teko, to lift the front wheels. Supports are slid underneath, and the float is rotated ninety degrees as the crew pushes and calls out. A Japanese reference adds that the float is guided with smaller levers to adjust its path by tens of centimeters at a time.

Wires and signs in the old town are arranged to fit the height of the floats, according to the English guide, which gives a sense of how much the whole city is built around the festival. When a float stops, local children climb inside through the base, one tourism page says, making it a festival for the entire community.

Songs and the rhythm of the days

The pullers are guided by kiyari, work songs sung by a small team of singers. A Japanese reference says there are five types of kiyari song, and some neighborhoods have their own. The team is typically five or six people, with the youngest in the center and the veterans at the ends, and they practice from April. The sound of their voices, together with the shouts of the crowd, gives the festival its energy.

The festival days follow a rhythm. According to the English guide and recent festival information, the floats are sent to the shrine and paraded on May 3 and 4, with rites at the shrine on May 4. On May 5 the three floats gather near the Noto Food Festival Market, close to the harbor, where visitors can see them together. A Japanese guide lists a viewing window from late morning to mid afternoon on that day. Programs, route and times vary by year, so check the latest announcement from the Nanao tourism association.

After the floats are brought home each evening, local people continue to celebrate. The English guide also mentions fireworks at the harbor on a past festival evening, though schedules differ by year.

Returning to the streets

Nanao and the Noto Peninsula experienced a major earthquake on January 1, 2024, and community life, including the festivals, has been rebuilding since. According to a 2025 festival preview, the 2024 float parade was not held and the festival was scheduled to return in 2025, a sign of the community's care for its traditions. For the most current information about the festival and local conditions, it is best to check with the Nanao City Tourism Association before traveling.

For those who plan to come, visiting is also a way to support the community. The festival gives the town an occasion to gather, and visitors are welcomed warmly when they approach with respect and curiosity.

Getting there and enjoying the area

The festival area is easy to find. Nanao Station on the JR Nanao Line is about a five-minute walk from the festival area, according to a regional festival guide, and by car the Nanao-jo-yama interchange on the Noto-Etsu Expressway is about five minutes away. The Ohmatsuri festival guide notes that restrooms are available and that there is Wi-Fi at the station and at the food market.

Crowds are large, so arrive early, and keep a respectful distance when the floats are turning. The turning crews need room for the long levers. A Japanese guide says the wide street by the river is a place to see all three floats on the final day.

When you have time between events, the Wakura Onsen Festival Museum in Nanao introduces the local festivals, and the Noto Food Festival Market near the harbor is a place to browse seafood and local products. An old float wheel is on display at the market entrance, according to a Japanese reference. Because conditions on the peninsula may still be changing, confirm opening details before you visit.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Seihaku Festival held?

It is typically held from May 3 to 5, with a doll-viewing evening on May 2. The organizers set the exact program each year, and schedules may be adjusted, so check the Nanao City Tourism Association or city website before you go.

How big are the deka-yama?

According to the Nanao tourism information and the English guide, each float is about twelve meters tall and weighs roughly twenty tons, and they are widely described as the largest hikiyama floats in Japan. Different guides give slightly different weights, so treat the numbers as approximate.

Can visitors help pull the floats?

Yes. The Nanao tourism information says visitors are welcome to join the pulling, and a Japanese reference says the rear rope is open to visitors and children. Wear comfortable shoes and follow the instructions of the local organizers.

Further reading: the Experience Kanazawa guide to the Seihakusai, the Ohmatsuri festival guide to the Seihakusai and the UNESCO page for the float festivals.

Keep exploring: Takaoka Mikurumayama Festival: Seven Lacquered Floats on May Day; Uozu Tatemon Festival: Lantern Boats That Glow on a Toyama Summer Night; Johana Hikiyama Festival: Squeaking Wheels and Teahouse Songs; Takayama Festival: Twice-a-Year Floats in a Preserved Mountain Town.