Every poem in the Manyoshu – all 4,516 of them – is read aloud in sequence, by relays of volunteers, without stopping for three days and nights.
Overview
Otomo no Yakamochi, the dominant voice of the Manyoshu, spent five years as governor of Etchu Province and wrote many of his best-known poems here. Takaoka has built its cultural identity on that connection, and the Manyo Festival is the result.
The centrepiece is the rosho, a continuous relay reading of the entire anthology. Participants of all ages take a turn at the microphone on a stage set over the water in Takaoka Kojo Park, some in Nara-period costume, and the reading runs through the night.
When and where
The 2026 festival runs from Friday 2 to Sunday 4 October. The relay reading is staged at the Nakanoshima floating stage in Takaoka Kojo Park.
Nearest station: Takaoka, about 15 minutes on foot; Shin-Takaoka on the Hokuriku Shinkansen is a short local train away.
Getting there
Shin-Takaoka is about 20 minutes from Kanazawa or 15 minutes from Toyama on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, then one stop on the Johana line to Takaoka. From Takaoka Station the park is a walk or a short ride on the city tram.
The park is open ground with the stage in the middle of a pond, so the reading can be watched from anywhere around the water.
What to expect
It is a quiet, oddly hypnotic event rather than a noisy one.
- All 20 volumes and 4,516 poems read in order over three days and nights
- More than 2,000 readers taking three-minute turns, including overnight slots
- A water stage in Takaoka Kojo Park, the site of Takaoka Castle
- Costumed readers in Nara-period dress at some slots
- Takaoka Daibutsu, one of Japan’s three great bronze Buddhas, a ten-minute walk away
Tickets and admission
Free to watch. Reading slots are allocated in advance by the organising committee, and foreign visitors have taken part in the past – enquire ahead if you would like a turn.
Tips for visitors
The atmosphere is best late at night, when the park is dark and the reading continues to a small audience. Bring a warm layer for the evening; early October nights in Toyama are cool. Combine the festival with the Kanaya-machi copperware street and Zuiryu-ji temple, both within walking distance.
Access and map
| Dates | 2-4 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Takaoka Kojo Park, Nakanoshima water stage, Takaoka, Toyama |
| Access | JR Takaoka station, 15 minutes on foot |
| Admission | Free |
| Official site | Toyama Prefecture tourism (Info Toyama) |
Source: Info Toyama, Toyama Prefecture official tourism site
Image: Photo: shikabane taro / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
