Overview
The famous Nozawa Onsen Fire Festival ins nationally designated as an important intangible folk cultural property. It originally began as an invocation for a good harvest, health and good fortune in the coming year, but has been expanded to include a good ski season as well. Taking place on 15th January every year, the festival is staged by men aged 42 and 25 (so-called unlucky ages) to celebrate the birth of a family's first child, to dispel evil spirits and also to pray for happy marriage. Fire and snow always go well and the Nozawa Onsen fire festival exemplifies this as one of three great fire festivals in Japan. This is the biggest event in the village over the year.
The famous Nozawa Onsen Fire Festival is nationally designated as an important intangible folk cultural property. It originally began as an invocation for a good harvest, health and good fortune in the coming year, but has been expanded to include a good ski season as well. Taking place on January 15th every year, the festival is staged by men aged 42 and 25 (so-called “unlucky ages”) to celebrate the birth of a family’s first child, to dispel evil spirits and also to pray for happy marriage. Fire and snow always go well and the Nozawa Onsen fire festival exemplifies this as one of the three great fire festivals in Japan. This is the biggest event in the village over the year.