2026 Senbo River Lantern Floating Festival: A Full-Day Course
This one-day course centers on the Senbo River Lantern Floating Festival (千保川灯籠流し祭), which quietly bids farewell to the end of Obon (August 16, 2026, on the banks of the Senbo River in Takaoka). By day, tour the temple town of casting and Zen: touch the stillness of Zuiryuji Temple, whose National Treasure buildings stand in a row; walk Yamacho-suji, lined with dozo-zukuri storehouse townscapes; and Kanaya-machi, with its beautiful rows of senbon-goshi lattice houses — walking through the historic streets that are Takaoka's pride. After dinner at the Otaya-dori Shopping Street, head to the banks of the Senbo River as evening falls. The sight of countless lanterns quietly drifting down the river is a solemn Takaoka summer evening, evoking prayers for ancestors and the passing of summer.
Schedule
A renowned Zen temple where the National Treasure gate, Buddha hall, and Dharma hall line up in a row
An Important Preservation District lined with sturdy storehouse-style merchant houses
The birthplace of Takaoka's casting industry, with senbon-goshi lattice houses and stone-paved lanes
Dinner at the shopping street before heading to the riverbank
An evening of prayer as countless lanterns drift down the river, sending off ancestors who returned for Obon
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