Omizo Festival

The Omizo Festival (大溝祭り) is a centuries-old celebration held each May in Takashima City, Shiga Prefecture, centered around the revered Hiyoshi Shrine. With a history spanning over 400 years, this vibrant event honors the city’s guardian deity and has been recognized as an Intangible Folk Cultural Asset since 1983. The festival marks the arrival of spring with five grand parade floats—Minato, Tomoe, Takara, Isamu, and Ryū—pulled through the town to the rhythmic sounds of taiko drums and kane handbells. Each float is a work of art, decorated with vivid colors and intricate traditional motifs that reflect Takashima’s cultural pride and community spirit.

On the evening of May 3rd, the festival reaches its dramatic peak during the Yoimiya Festival, where young locals perform tsuji-mawari, a thrilling tradition of spinning the massive floats at street intersections—a true display of strength and coordination. As darkness falls, the floats are illuminated, casting shimmering reflections across the surface of nearby Lake Biwa and creating a dreamlike spectacle. The excitement continues on May 4th, when the full parade takes place with the floats in their finest form, accompanied by a mikoshi (portable shrine) carried through the streets. One of the most anticipated moments is the lively mochi-maki, where festival-goers scramble to catch tossed rice cakes believed to bring good luck.