Kansai · NaraFestival
Twice a year every lantern at Kasuga Taisha is lit at once — roughly 3,000 flames along the shrine’s cedar-shaded approach.
Overview
Chugen Mantoro is the summer half of Kasuga Taisha’s twice-yearly lantern lighting. On the nights of 14 and 15 August, the shrine’s approximately 2,000 stone lanterns and 1,000 hanging bronze lanterns are all lit together, turning the approach paths and corridors into lines of small flames under the trees.
Lanterns have been donated to the shrine since the late Heian period, so what you are looking at is centuries of accumulated offerings. The mid-August version of the rite was revived in 1929; the only other night the full set is lit is Setsubun in February.
When and Where
14 and 15 August 2026. Lighting begins around 19:00 on both nights and the gates close at 21:30. The shrine museum (Kokuhoden) extends its hours to 10:00–20:00, with last entry at 19:30.
The shrine sits at the eastern edge of Nara Park, at 160 Kasugano-cho.
What to Expect
- About 2,000 stone lanterns lining the approach paths, lit from dusk
- Roughly 1,000 bronze lanterns hanging along the shrine corridors
- Bugaku court dance offered at the Naorai-den on 14 August
- Kagura sacred dance on 15 August
- The Yunoki-gata stone lantern of 1136, said to be Japan’s second oldest
- The Ruri lantern, attributed to Fujiwara no Yorimichi in 1038
Admission and Practicalities
Walking the precinct and the lantern-lined approach is free. Special worship inside the corridor, where the hanging bronze lanterns are, is charged separately — the prefectural tourism site lists ¥700 for this event while the shrine’s own annual-events page shows ¥500, so carry small change and check on arrival.
Visitors can dedicate a lantern with an offering of ¥3,000 or more.
Tips for Visitors
Arrive before 19:00 and walk up the approach as the lighting happens rather than after — the transition is the best part.
Pay for the corridor entry if you can. The hanging bronze lanterns at close range are a completely different experience from the stone ones outside.
Nara Park is dark and full of deer at night. Watch your footing on the gravel, and do not feed them after hours.
Access and Map
| Dates | 14–15 August 2026 |
|---|---|
| Times | Lanterns lit from approx. 19:00; gates close 21:30 |
| Venue | Kasuga Taisha, 160 Kasugano-cho, Nara City |
| Access | Nara Kotsu bus from JR/Kintetsu Nara Station to Kasuga Taisha Honden (approx. 11–15 min) |
| Admission | Precinct free; corridor special worship ¥500–¥700 |
| Official site | Kasuga Taisha |
Source: Kasuga Taisha official website
Image: Photo: Degueulasse / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0) — photographed at the February Setsubun Mantoro, the same lantern lighting
