Japan Heritage story
Noto's Kiriko festivals: giant lanterns on summer nights
灯（あか）り舞う半島 能登
Each summer, about 200 villages on the Noto Peninsula carry giant glowing lantern floats called kiriko through their streets. Travel Noto in summer and you are almost sure to meet one.
Key facts
- Theme
- Sea and waterside, Festivals and rituals
- Era
- Edo
- Region
- Chubu
- Official name in Japanese
- 灯（あか）り舞う半島 能登
- Official subtitle in Japanese
- ～熱狂のキリコ祭り～
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 石川県（七尾市，輪島市，珠洲市，志賀町，穴水町，能登町）
The story
The Noto Peninsula juts into the Sea of Japan, and for centuries ships brought people and ideas here from all over. Cut off by its geography, Noto kept its own customs and is known as a treasure house of festivals: it has 84 designated intangible folk cultural properties.
The best known are the Kiriko festivals. A kiriko is a tall box-shaped lantern float, lacquered and carved, with big brush calligraphy or warrior paintings on its sides. The largest weigh about 2 tonnes and stand 15 m high, and teams carry them on their shoulders beside the portable shrine. The festivals existed by the Edo period and grew as villages competed over size, decoration and numbers.
How to see one
- They run for about three months in summer, in about 200 districts of Nanao, Wajima, Suzu, Shika, Anamizu and Noto.
- Each festival is different in the number of floats, their shape and the route, so locals suggest seeing more than one.
- They come alive after dark, when the lanterns are lit.
Plan your trip with the Ishikawa prefecture guide.
Good to know
- On festival day, families open their doors and windows and feast with guests, a custom called yobare. Be a polite onlooker and don't walk in uninvited.
- Check each town's festival date before you go: they are spread across the summer.
- Noto was hit by a strong earthquake in January 2024, so check current local information before planning.
Questions travellers ask
When are the Kiriko festivals?
Over about three months in summer. Each of the roughly 200 districts has its own date.
How big is a kiriko?
The biggest weigh about 2 tonnes and are about 15 m tall.
Where it comes from
More heritage stories from the same area
Local foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.