Yokote Kamakura Festival
Each February 15–16, hundreds of igloo-like snow houses (kamakura) appear throughout Yokote. Children sit inside by small altars and candles, offering amazake rice wine to visitors — a 450-year-old winter tradition.
2–3 hours (evening for illumination)
Free
Festival: 2nd Friday–Saturday of February (e.g. 13–14 Feb 2026); snow huts open 18:00–21:00.
February 15–16
Yokote Station (JR Ou Line, 40 min from Akita)
Location
Why Visit
- 1
Each kamakura is built by family members over several days, packed tight with snow then hollowed from inside
- 2
The water deity Suijin is enshrined inside each igloo — offerings of rice cakes and amazake are made
- 3
Night illumination of hundreds of glowing igloos across the snowy town is one of Japan's most magical winter scenes
- 4
Miniature kamakura are also built — small enough to peer through a window into a candlelit scene
Local Tips
The kamakura snow huts are built only for two nights in mid-February — plan well ahead. Inside each hut a child invites you to sit and eat mochi and amazake. Arrive after dark for the most magical atmosphere with candles glowing through the snow.
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