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Gujo Dance Festival

HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Gujo Dance Festival

Join the traditional dance festival of Gujo City, known for its historic castle town and crystal clear waters

Gifu prefecture

Gujo City, located in Gifu Prefecture, is famous for its history, which you can enjoy by strolling through the old, historic castle town; its crystal clear waters, which are part of the Nagara River Basin (Seki, Mino, Gujo and Gifu) that was selected as part of Green Destinations' 2021 Top 100 list for excellent practice; and of course, the Gujo Dance.

Every year, more than 300,000 people converge in Gujo from all places, dressed in traditional yukata (summer kimono) and clacking their geta (traditional wooden clogs). Held for 30 nights from mid-July to early September, it is the longest-running dance festival in Japan. The climax, between August 13th and 16th, sees four days of all-night dancing that go on well into the morning hours!

The Gujo Dance is not a dance that you watch, but a dance that you DANCE! Why not take part in this beloved and enjoyable 400-year-old tradition where everyone, locals and tourists alike, comes together to dance the night away?

How to get there

Take a train from Nagoya Station to JR Mino-ota Station. Then, transfer to the Nagaragawa Railway, and get off at Gujo Hachiman Station. The dance venue is a few minutes' walk from Gujo Hachiman Station, the amount of time depending on where the venue is on a given night.

Hachiman-cho, Gujo-shi, Gifu-ken