Noboribetsu Onsen (Noboribetsu Jigoku Matsuri)

photo by メルビル · CC BY-SA 3.0

photo by メルビル · CC BY-SA 3.0

According to legend, once a year hell's cauldron opens and Enma, king of the dead, comes out.

At the end of every August, a procession carries a mikoshi (the sacred palanquin of Shinto festivals) shoulder-high along Gokuraku-dōri, the street that runs through the spa town: according to local legend, once a year the lid of hell's cauldron opens and Enma, the Buddhist judge of the dead, comes down among the living with red and blue demons. The procession is followed by a group dance that tourists are invited to join. On the same street, a mechanical statue of Enma puts on shows during the rest of the year too.

Noboribetsu Onsen, whose name combines the name of the place with the word onsen, the Japanese hot spring, is the town at the foot of the Jigokudani valley, ‘valley of hell’, from which the festival takes its theme. It has 14 ryokan (traditional hot spring inns) supplied by the volcanic springs of the area. The town's history as a spa resort is documented from 1858, with the resort developing from 1913; the underworld festival has been held since 1964.

ℹ️ In the documented edition the festival was held on 25 and 26 August.

🚉 Noboribetsu Onsen Bus Terminal N11 · 5 min walk

Sources: ja.wikipedia.org · hokkaidoisan.org

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