Narita Drum Festival, one of the most famous drum festivals in Japan, is held every April and is a major event that attracts more than 200,000 people during the festival.
We picked up the highlights and recommended spots for you to experience the excitement of the festival! We hope you will find them useful.
成Let's take a look at the Narita Drum Festival!
Narita Drum Festival is one of Japan's premier Japanese drum events, held annually in April. Japanese drum teams and performers of traditional Japanese music gather from all over Japan, especially from the Kanto region, to give a powerful performance.
The stages will be set up in the precincts of Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, on stages set up at various spots along Naritasan Omotesando, and in local gymnasiums. During the two days of the Narita Drum Festival, just walking around Narita Station, the sounds of Japanese drums and musical accompaniment will echo out from everywhere.
With the exception of some spectator seats, the exhibition is free of charge.
Highlights: (1) Full of power! Sengan-Hana-Daiko
One of the highlights of the Narita Drum Festival is the Sengan-Hana-Daiko. The performers gather in front of the main hall of Naritasan and beat the Japanese drums in unison, which is truly a sight to behold. Feel the pressure of the sound of the Japanese drums with your whole body.
The performance will be held on both Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 to around 10:30. The area in front of the main hall is used as a stage, with the audience surrounding the stage. Viewing from the corridor of the main hall is also recommended, but it tends to be crowded, so it is best to secure a spot early.
Highlights: (2) Definitely impressive, Sennen-Yo-Butai
On Saturday from 5:00 p.m., a bonfire will be lit on a special stage in front of the main hall of Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, creating a fantastic atmosphere.
The excitement and excitement of the audience is unparalleled, as they are able to hear one of Japan's most talented Japanese drum teams perform in an unparalleled location.
There is no charge for standing-room-only viewing, but you can also obtain a ticket for a seat on the Millennium Night Stage by making a "Traditional Performing Arts Promotion Sponsorship". If you would like to enjoy the performance at a more leisurely pace, please consider purchasing a seat here.
Highlights: (3) Enjoy distinctive performances on stages throughout the approach!
Special stages are set up at various locations along Naritasan Omotesando, where you can enjoy performances by various groups. The differences in performance styles among the groups are significant, and it is one of the interesting aspects of the festival to enjoy these differences.
Flyers will be distributed on the day of the Japanese drum festival to confirm the stage schedule, so please enjoy the approach to the festival while checking out the groups you are interested in.
Highlights: (4) Senko-Banrei-Parade is fun to watch
The Japanese drum parade, the finale of the Narita drum festival, will be held on Sunday at 3:00 p.m.
The parade starts in front of Narita Station and moves to the Naritasan Shinshoji Temple side. From little ones to adults, and from Japanese drums to steel drums! It is a time for people of all ages and nationalities to experience the joy of percussion instruments to the fullest.
Unarikun might come too!
Narita's popular yuru-chara, Unarikun, may also come to the festival! If you look closely, you will see that he is wearing a festival-specific costume, so please check it out as well.
They are willing to take commemorative photos, so if you come across them, please try to take a picture with them.
The 2024 festival will be held on Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21.
During lunch time, you can use the stores on the approach to the temple, and we recommend that you get the approach's specialty, eels, and eat them.
Also, during the festival, Naritasan Omotesando will be a pedestrian paradise and traffic will be restricted. For those accessing by cab, drop-off at Narita Station is recommended.
Please refer to this page for information on traffic regulations.
For those coming by car, the parking lots along the approach to the festival are closed due to traffic restrictions. The parking lots near the east exit of Keisei Narita Station have a large capacity and are relatively easy to park in.
In recent years, it has been hot even at the end of April, and it gets very crowded during the festival, so don't forget to take measures to protect yourself from the heat!
*All photos were taken from the official Narita Drum Festival website.
