Okumikawa, around the kura

Things to do

Rivers, waterfalls, old temples, the onsen down the road and a few small places to eat. These are the spots we send our guests to, from a short walk down the hill to day trips about an hour away.

Map

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Drive times are approximate, from the kura, and allow for slow mountain roads.

Food & cafés

Nature & walks

Shrines & history

Onsen

Seasonal / Hana Matsuri

Experiences

Michi-no-eki & local shops

Winter in Toei

Hana Matsuri花祭

What it is

Every winter, from November into January, the villages of Toei take turns holding Hana Matsuri, the sacred kagura dance of Okumikawa. At the centre of the dance floor, water drawn from a waterfall is brought to the boil in a cauldron, and the gods are invited in. Then the dancing begins and carries on through the night and into the next day, some forty kinds of dance in all: children dancing their first Flower Dance, and the masked oni, the most important figures of all, stamping new strength into the earth.

Near the end comes the yubayashi: dancers dip bundles of straw into the cauldron and scatter the hot water over everyone around them. It is said that whoever is splashed will stay well for a year. All night the crowd joins in with the call of “Tehohe, tehohe”.

Why it matters

Toei Town estimates that Hana Matsuri began about 700 years ago, brought by the mountain ascetics who travelled here in the Kamakura and Muromachi periods; no record gives an exact date. In 1976 it was designated a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.

It is held in the coldest weeks of the year for a reason: it was once the festival of the eleventh lunar month, meant to wake the sun and the earth after their winter decline. At its heart is umare-kiyomari, being born again, renewed and purified. Each village holds its own festival on its own dates, so through the winter it moves from one community to the next, kept going by the people who live there.

If you go

Dress for a cold, late and smoky night, and don't drink if you're driving. Venue roads can be narrow and icy, so fit winter tyres. A small offering (o-mimai), around ¥3,000 a person, helps each district keep its festival going.

Source for the history: Toei Town, Hana Matsuri Q&A.(opens in a new tab)

A dancer at the Hana Matsuri in Toei
Photo: Mikkabie / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped

2026–27 dates by district

DistrictDates
Kobayashi13–15 Nov 2026
Misono14–15 Nov
Higashi-Sonome21–22 Nov
Tsuki21–22 Nov
Ashikomi28–29 Nov
Kawauchi28–29 Nov
NakashitaraOur district5–6 Dec
Nakazaike13 Dec
Furudo2–3 Jan 2027
Shimo-Awashiro9–11 Jan 2027
FurukawaNot held at present

Nakashitara: Rites from 13:00 on Sat 5 Dec, dancing from about 20:00, ending about 15:00 on Sun 6 Dec. In front of the Nakashitara Seikatsu Kaizen Center, about 5 minutes from the kura by car.

From Toei Town's schedule as of 15 Oct 2026. Dates and times can change, so please check before you travel.

Official schedule (PDF, Japanese)(opens in a new tab)Nakashitara Hana Matsuri (Toei Town)(opens in a new tab)

Book your stay for Hana Matsuri

Opens the booking page with 5–6 December 2026 selected.

Suggested plans

Four simple plans, from one day near the kura to a week of slow outings. Pick a length to see each day.

One day near the kura

A slow day within a few minutes of the kura: the river, a waterfall, lunch and the onsen.

Length
1 day
Best season
All year
Car
Morning on foot; car for the afternoon (5 min)
Pace
Slow
All times are approximate, from the kura

Day by day

  1. Day 1: The river below the kura

    Potholes on foot, lunch by the onsen, Tsuta-no-fuchi, a soak, dinner at the kura.

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Day 1The river below the kura
On foot or by car
  1. Morning

    Walk down the hill to the Kamabuchi potholes by Route 151 (about 800 m, 12 min).

  2. About 5 min by car

    Lunch

    Restaurant Hananomai (gohei-mochi, soba, Toei chicken) or ramen at Kuroneko next door. Both closed Wednesdays.

  3. A short walk, about 200 m

    Afternoon

    Tsuta-no-fuchi falls on the Ochise River.

  4. A soak at Toei Onsen, next to the falls: ¥400 with our coupon (direct bookings). Closed Wednesdays.

  5. Evening

    Dinner at the kuraPlaces nearby close early. Dinner is by reservation (from ¥3,500); add it when you book.

  • Rain: swap the morning walk for the Hana Matsuri Hall and museum, about 10 min by car (9:00–16:30, closed Mon).
  • Sat & Sun mornings, mid-March to late December: the Furikusa farm stand, about 10 min by car (8:30–12:00). Early December: the Hana Matsuri, 5–6 Dec 2026.
  • Without a car: the morning works on foot. The onsen is a 5 min drive, so you'll need a car for the afternoon.

Last checked: Oct 2026. Hours and closed days change, so please confirm before you go.

Practical notes

Before you set out

  • Most places close by 16:00–17:00, and lunch often finishes around 14:00. Plan to be back at the kura by late afternoon.
  • With our coupon (direct bookings), Toei Onsen entry is half price: ¥400. Open until 21:00, last entry 20:00, closed on Wednesdays.

Dinner at the kura

Places nearby close early, so dinner at the kura is the easy way to end the day. It's by reservation; let us know when you book.

  • Dinner ¥3,500
  • 3-course dinner ¥5,000
  • 5-course dinner ¥7,000
  • Breakfast ¥2,000

Check before you go

  • Prefectural Road 32 near Horaiji is closed by a landslide. Use Road 524 from Yuya Onsen, or Road 436.
  • Part of the Tokai Nature Trail around Horaiji is closed until 26 February 2027 (planned).
  • Chiiwa gorge can't be reached by car. Park at Yuya Onsen and take the JR Iida Line to Mikawa-Kawai.
  • Hours and closed days change. We checked them in October 2026, but please confirm with each place before you go.
How to get to the kuraBook a stay

Sources: each place's own website, the Toei Town and Okumikawa tourism sites (toeinavi.jp, okuminavi.jp) and our own notes. Photos come from each place's own website or its tourism page, or from Wikimedia Commons under free licences, and are credited on each card; places without a suitable photo show a simple illustration. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.