[2024 Edition] Tohoku's largest winter festival! Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival

The largest winter festival in Tohoku! What is the Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival?

The Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival is held every February in Yonezawa City and is one of the largest festivals in the Tohoku region, attracting over 200,000 people from all over Japan. On the day of the festival, snow lanterns warmly light up the venue, and the candlelight creates a fantastical landscape.

The venue features food stalls serving local cuisine and stage performances, and the event has been held by local residents for over 40 years.

This time, we will introduce the highlights of the Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival!

Must see! Snow lanterns warmly lighting up Yonezawa in winter

The highlight of the Snow Lantern Festival is the rows of snow lanterns and snow lanterns. It takes place at Uesugi Shrine, a representative tourist spot in Yonezawa. Even if you have been to the place before, the scenery during the festival is exceptional.

These snow lanterns are actually made by hand by local people one by one. Taking into consideration the weather and temperature in the run up to the festival, it takes about three days to chill, harden, and carve the snow into shape.

Of course, as the temperature rises, the snow melts, so these snow lanterns can only be seen in the winter. This is a sight that is unique to Yonezawa and can only be seen in the harsh cold season.

The roots of the festival began with the question, "How can we enjoy the snow?"

The Snow Lantern Festival has been going on for a long time. What was its origin? There is a story that remains in Yonezawa.

One moonlit night in 1977, a small drinking party was being held. As the participants enjoyed their drinks and talked about the beauty of the snow, the topic of "how to enjoy alcohol while admiring the snow" came up. One of them immediately suggested, "What if we lit a candle in the snow?" To try it out, they went out into the garden, dug a head-sized hole in the deep snow, placed a candle in it and lit it. They then unfolded a fantastical scene of snow and lights, and everyone was taken aback by its beauty. This would later develop into the Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival.

I discovered the "beauty of snow" by chance through a small topic. It may have been a wisdom to overcome the harsh snowy winters and a source of hope for the arrival of spring, supporting the people of Yonezawa.

Later, the purpose of the festival was changed to mourning those who died in the war, and ceremonies are held during the event. The Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival is also an important event to convey gratitude to those who have supported Yonezawa up until now.

Anyone can observe the ceremony, so if you have an interest in history or the local area, be sure to check it out.

There will also be plenty of hot gourmet food and stage events!

The snow lanterns are lit up in the evening, but you can enjoy the festival throughout the day, with daytime stages and a tent village where you can sample local cuisine.

On both days, you can see more than 10 performances on stage, including a powerful performance by the Yamagata Ai no Busho-tai, Japanese drum performances, dance and instrument performances by local students.

At the tent village, a variety of dishes using Yonezawa beef will be available, including skewers, croquettes, and beef stew! There will also be special dishes available only on this day, such as Yonezawa ramen and sweets. Please enjoy freshly made, piping hot Yonezawa gourmet food while admiring the snowy scenery.

In 2024, we will hold a special event called the "Tohoku Ichiban Sakura Project," in which the snowy landscape will be lit up in the color of cherry blossoms. Cherry blossom-colored glow sticks will be distributed to visitors, and participants will come together to liven up the venue.

Next event date

It is scheduled to be held on the second Saturday and Sunday of every year.

Although there has been no official announcement yet, the 2025 event is expected to take place on February 8th and 9th.

For details, please check the official website linked below.

Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival Official Website

■ Location

Uesugi Shrine grounds and Matsugasaki Park area

1-4-13 Marunouchi, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture

■Event Schedule

*Implemented in 2024. May change depending on the implementation year.

□ First day:

Stage event 11:00-19:00

Tent village 11:00-21:00

Requiem ceremony 17:00~

Snow lanterns and snow lanterns lit up from 17:30

□ Day 2:

Stage event 11:00-20:00

Tent village 11:00-20:00

Snow lanterns and snow lanterns lit up from 17:30

■Access

As congestion is expected around the venue, please use public transportation or a paid shuttle bus.

□Public transportation

・Yonezawa City Circular Bus (clockwise)

Depart from Yonezawa Station → Get off at Uesugi Shrine. One-way fare: 210 yen

・Taxi from station/venue

□ Paid shuttle bus

During the event, a paid shuttle bus will be operating (200 yen for junior high school students and above, 100 yen for elementary school students).

You can board the bus from Yonezawa City Hall, Yonezawa Station, and Denkoku Shrine.

We plan to operate the service approximately every 20 minutes.

*Changes may occur depending on snowfall and road conditions.

Enjoy winter in Yonezawa with some snow activities!

In addition to the Uesugi Snow Lantern Festival that we introduced this time, Yonezawa, which has a lot of snowfall, also has a wide variety of snow activities in the surrounding area. You can enjoy the local culture at the festival while also combining it with skiing, seeing frost-covered trees, and visiting hot springs, making your stay in Yonezawa even more enjoyable. Please come and visit Yonezawa in winter, covered in beautiful snowy scenery!