Yokote's Kamakura Festival is a 400-year-old tradition held each February in which dozens of dome-shaped snow huts called kamakura are constructed throughout the city. Inside each hut, a small altar is dedicated to the water deity Mizugami-sama, and visitors are invited in by local children who offer amazake and rice cakes. The festival takes place over two nights, and the huts are lit from within, creating an ethereal glow across the snowy landscape. Miniature kamakura (minikama) line the streets adding extra charm to the scene.
- Type
- Festival
- Category
- Snow/Winter
- Season
- Winter
- Month
- Mid-February
- Region
- Tohoku
- Prefecture
- Akita
- City
- Yokote
Highlights
- ◆Centuries-old tradition with over 100 illuminated snow huts
- ◆Visitors welcomed inside kamakura for amazake and mochi
- ◆Water deity Mizugami-sama shrines inside each hut
- ◆Hundreds of miniature kamakura lining the streets
- ◆Designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property