Otsu Festival

Otsu's Autumn Seasonal Event

Otsu Festival is Tenson Shrine's annual festival and Otsu's largest, held every October. Thirteen hikiyama floats known for elaborate mechanical automata including "Tanuki-yama" and "Sessho-seki-yama" parade through the central city.

Mechanical Automata

Otsu Festival hikiyama feature elaborate karakuri puppet mechanisms, with moving devices operating during the parade. Automata based on Chinese legends and Japanese tales are works of art concentrating craftsmen's artistry.

Evening Festival and Main Festival

At the yoimiya evening festival, hikiyama illuminated with lanterns tour the streets in a fantastical atmosphere. The following day's main festival features mikoshi processions and hikiyama parades, coloring Otsu's autumn.

Culture of Lake City Otsu

Otsu City, Shiga's prefectural capital at the southern tip of Lake Biwa, is a cultural city with many historic sites including Enryakuji on Mt. Hiei and Ishiyamadera Temple, with Otsu Festival symbolizing its cultural depth.