Aenokoto (Rice Field Deity Ritual)
あえのこと
December 5 (welcoming) and February 9 (sending off) every year
Aenokoto is not a public festival but an intimate agricultural rite passed down in Oku-Noto farmhouses — on December 5 the invisible rice field deity is welcomed home, offered a bath and a lavish meal, and on February 9 sent back to the fields. Registered as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009. Public demonstrations are occasionally held at facilities in Noto Town.
Overview
| Date | December 5 (welcoming) and February 9 (sending off) every year |
|---|---|
| Venue | 奥能登一円(輪島市・珠洲市・能登町・穴水町の農家) |
| Access | Public demonstrations are held in some years at facilities in Noto Town — check in advance. |
You may also like
Foodpia Kanazawa
Throughout February
Kanazawa's month-long winter food festival since 1985 — reservation-based dining events in ryotei restaurants, machiya townhouses, and hotels across the city.
Gongan Shinji (Bamboo-Splitting Festival)
February 10 every year, around 11:00–noon
A 1,300-year-old rite in Kaga — young men in white smash hundreds of green bamboo poles on the shrine's stone steps, then hurl a great serpent-rope into the river.
Kenrokuen & Kanazawa Castle Light-up "Shiki Monogatari"
Winter editions on February Saturdays; also held each season (check dates)
Free evening light-ups of Kenrokuen Garden and Kanazawa Castle each season — the winter edition, with snow-hung ropes over the pines, is Kanazawa at its most iconic.
Dates and details may change. For the Japanese page with full local tips, see the Japanese version.