A town of white plaster walls and red-tiled roofs spends one night a year watching fireworks from its riverbed.
Overview
Kurayoshi, in central Tottori, is known for a preserved quarter of white-walled clay storehouses roofed in the red tiles the region is famous for. The Utsubuki Matsuri is its summer festival, named after the hill and park that overlook the old town, and it has been held for close to fifty years in its present form.
The programme is compact and local: taiko drumming, a costumed parade with an ushi-oni ox-demon figure and a mikoshi carried by women, a mass dance contest, and then a fireworks finale on the second night.
When and where
The 2026 festival ran Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 August. The first day ran from 16:00 to 19:15 around Kurayoshi Ginza-dori and the storehouse district. The second moved to Hitenyume Hiroba, the open riverbed beside Kurayoshi Ohashi bridge, from 17:00 to 21:00, with the Hiten fireworks launched between 20:30 and 20:50.
Getting there
Kurayoshi is on the Sanin main line, about 50 minutes from Tottori city and an hour and a half from Yonago; the Super Hakuto from Kyoto and Osaka also stops there. From Kurayoshi station take a city-bound bus about five minutes to the Sogo-jimusho-mae stop, which puts you at the riverside site. The old town is a further short bus ride or a 25-minute walk.
What to expect
Day one is street-level: an opening ceremony with drumming, the announcement of the festival ambassadors, a rice-cake throwing, and a long parade of neighbourhood groups, followed by the Mitsuboshi odori, a dance contest anyone can watch from the kerb. The white-walled district behind it, hung with lanterns, is the reason to be there rather than at any other town festival of this size. Day two is the fireworks: about 4,000 shells over an open riverbed with nothing to block the view, plus stage acts and a market beforehand.
Admission and practicalities
Free, with no reserved seating. Light rain does not stop the fireworks; heavy weather cancels them. The organisers put out no rubbish bins at all and ask everyone to take their waste away, which is worth knowing before you buy from the stalls. Traffic restrictions apply in the centre on both days.
Tips for visitors
Walk the storehouse district in the late afternoon before the parade, when the light is on the white walls and the shops are still open. The riverbed gets mosquitoes after dark, so bring repellent. Misasa Onsen, one of the best-known radon hot springs in Japan, is 20 minutes away and makes an easy base.
Access and map
| Dates | 1-2 August 2026; fireworks 20:30-20:50 on the 2nd |
|---|---|
| Venue | Kurayoshi Ginza-dori and Hitenyume Hiroba, Kurayoshi, Tottori |
| Access | Bus about 5 minutes from JR Kurayoshi station |
| Admission | Free |
| Enquiries | Kurayoshi Utsubuki Matsuri committee, Kurayoshi City, 0858-22-8159 |
Source: Kurayoshi City official site
Image: No image yet – a licensed photograph is being sourced.
