Western Honshū · Tottori · Tottori
Tottori Shanshan Matsuri
鳥取しゃんしゃん祭
A local umbrella dance simplified so anyone can join — and four thousand people swing at once.
Next
13–15 August 2027
290 days away
Every year, 13 August, for 3 days
Future dates: 13 August 2027 · 13 August 2028 · 13 August 2029
Origin
By the organisers’ account it began in 1961 as the Tottori Matsuri, alongside the annual rites of two local shrines. The dance came later: the *Inaba kasa odori* of eastern Tottori was simplified and opened out, and a new version was adopted from 1965. The name *shanshan* comes from two sounds at once: the hot springs in the town said to bubble *shanshan*, and the bells on the umbrellas ringing *shanshan*.
What to look for
The centre is the mass umbrella dance on the middle day: by the organisers’ count more than four thousand dancers at once, filling the streets of the town. At the fiftieth edition, in 2014, it was recognised as the largest umbrella dance in the world. The eve carries a different dance, and the last day fireworks, so no two of the three days are alike.
How to watch
Do not cut across the dancing lines. The umbrellas are swung, so keep back at the roadside. On the fireworks night the crowd gathers by the river and the way home moves essentially one way.
If you go
**The dates sit in the Bon holiday, so book beds and travel early.** The three days differ: the thirteenth carries an eve dance, the fourteenth the mass umbrella dance, the fifteenth the fireworks. Come on the fourteenth for the dancing, the fifteenth for the fireworks. Everything is within walking distance of Tottori station.
Where
Central Tottori
Tottori, Tottori
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