Private multi-day tour · Multi-day from Tokyo
From Tokyo: 3-Day Akita Kanto Festival Customizable Tour
See the Morioka Sansa drum parade and the Akita Kanto Festival, where performers balance 12 m bamboo poles hung with paper lanterns on their palms and heads.
Private · your group only◆3 days◆Up to 6 guests◆Pickup included
Road-day snapshot
This is your private tour, so the route is flexible: tell us if you want to skip a stop, stay longer somewhere or add a place nearby.
The experience
A private journey, thoughtfully paced
This tour joins two great summer festivals of northern Japan on the days they overlap, August 3 and 4. Morioka Sansa Odori runs on August 1 to 4 and the Akita Kanto Festival runs on August 3 to 6.
In Morioka, the Sansa Odori parade fills Chuo-dori with dancers and taiko drummers. The festival is famous for the large number of drums that play together. Your guide explains the legend of the demon and the shrine behind the dance.
In Akita, the Kanto Festival is a prayer for a good rice harvest. Performers lift kanto, long bamboo poles hung with rows of paper lanterns. The biggest poles are about 12 m tall and carry 46 lanterns. They balance them on the palm, the forehead, the shoulder and even the hip. The whole street of Kanto-odori glows after dark.
In the daytime we visit the Akita Museum of Folk Heritage, also called Neburi Nagashi-kan, where you can see real kanto poles up close. Entry is included. You can also try Morioka jajamen noodles for lunch. Watching both festivals in the street is free.
You book your own hotel in Morioka and Akita. Rooms fill up early for these dates.
This is a private tour. Only your group. One family or group of 1 to 6 people per van, never shared with strangers. Your driver-guide speaks English, and also Hindi and Urdu.
If the Akita Kanto Festival or Morioka Sansa Odori is closed or cancelled on your date, you can take a full refund of your booking, guaranteed. If you prefer, we can instead visit the Akita Museum of Folk Heritage to see the kanto poles up close and walk Morioka's old town.
DAY 1 Hotel pickup in Tokyo and drive north to Morioka (about 6 hours). Evening: Morioka Sansa Odori drum parade.
DAY 2 Lunch chance for jajamen noodles, then drive to Akita. Visit the folk heritage museum, then the Akita Kanto Festival at night.
DAY 3 Morning in Akita and the drive back to your Tokyo hotel.
Choose with confidence
Is this the right journey for your group?
Excellent fit if
- Watch performers balance 12 m lantern poles at the Akita Kanto Festival
- Hear the huge taiko drum parade of Morioka Sansa Odori
- See real kanto poles up close at Neburi Nagashi-kan
- Try Morioka jajamen noodles, a local favourite
- Two northern summer festivals on the days they overlap
Said plainly
Tour dates: August 3 to 5. Sansa runs August 1 to 4 and Kanto runs August 3 to 6 each year. Festival viewing is from public street spaces. Reserved seats are not included. Day 1 and Day 3 include long drives of about 6 to 8 hours. If the Akita Kanto Festival or Morioka Sansa Odori is closed or cancelled on your date, you can take a full refund of your booking, guaranteed. If you prefer, we can instead visit the Akita Museum of Folk Heritage to see the kanto poles up close and walk Morioka's old town. Dietary needs can be added in the booking form.
Your day
Suggested itinerary
Times are approximate. Your driver-guide adjusts the order for traffic, weather, opening hours and the best light.
Watch performers balance 12 m lantern poles at the Akita Kanto Festival
Hear the huge taiko drum parade of Morioka Sansa Odori
See real kanto poles up close at Neburi Nagashi-kan
Try Morioka jajamen noodles, a local favourite
Two northern summer festivals on the days they overlap
What is covered
What you see is what you pay
Ours — included
- Private van and English-speaking driver-guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in central Tokyo
- All parking, fuel and road tolls
- Entry to the Akita Museum of Folk Heritage (Neburi Nagashi-kan)
Yours — paid on the day
- Hotel accommodation (you book your own hotel in Morioka and Akita)
- Meals and drinks unless listed as included
- Gratuities, which are never expected in Japan
- Optional reserved festival seats
- Optional festival food stalls and souvenirs
Good to know
Before you book
Languages
English, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi
Pickup
Pickup and drop-off at your Tokyo hotel or accommodation (23 wards).
Group and vehicle
Private for up to 6 guests. Enter adults, children, infants and child seats separately at booking.
Dietary and mobility needs
Halal, vegetarian, allergy, walking or other practical requests go in your booking notes and are planned before the day.
Questions
Frequently asked
Can we change the route on the day?
Yes. It is a private tour in our own van, so your driver-guide can skip, extend or add stops where time allows.
Is the price per person?
No. The price is for your whole private group of up to 6 people, including the van, fuel, tolls, parking and your driver-guide.
What is the cancellation policy?
Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for an automatic full refund to the original payment method. Within 24 hours, contact us directly so we can help. If a typhoon or official weather warning stops the trip, we offer a new date or a full refund. For a GetYourGuide booking, the terms shown on that booking apply.
Somewhere else in mind?
Any destination in Japan
If this route is not exactly what you need, tell us the destination, dates and group. We confirm the plan and the exact price before any payment is taken.
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From¥235,000
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