Shiga🇯🇵 The most important autumn festival is arguably the grand Otsu Festival🏮

The Otsu Festival, one of Lake Biwa's three major festivals, takes place October 11th and 12th.

From the nighttime array of lanterns to the daytime puppet performances on the floats, the sheer spectacle is truly breathtaking and worth experiencing!

The Otsu Festival, established in the early Edo period and designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, is held every autumn around Tenson Shrine near Otsu Station.

Thirteen large, two-story floats carry mechanical puppets, which stop at 20 locations along the parade for performances.

The day before the main festival, there's a festival called "Yogumi" (Yoya Palace), where the puppets are removed from the floats and illuminated rows of lanterns are displayed throughout the streets.

Although the Otsu Festival is relatively close to Kyoto, it's only a 50-minute Shinkansen ride from Nagoya Station!

For those interested in traveling to Kansai, traveling via Chubu Centrair International Airport (Central Japan International Airport) is a great option to avoid the airport's crowdedness and surrounding traffic.

Attraction Information
Otsu Festival

Address
3-3-36 Kyomachi, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture (Tenson Shrine)

October 11, 2025 (Saturday), evening until approximately 9:00 PM
Main Festival: October 12, 2025 (Sunday), 9:00 AM - 5:30 PM

Access
From Nagoya: From JR Nagoya Station, take the Shinkansen for 34 minutes to Kyoto Station. Transfer to the Tokaido and Sanyo Main Lines and proceed to Otsu Station for approximately 10 minutes. From there, walk about 5 minutes to the destination. (Total approximately 50 minutes)