All villagers in Nozawa onsen love the "Dosojin" fire festival.
It is held on Jan 15th every year and we get a lot of inquiries for that. We usually are fully booked even before summer season, but we have got some changes for this year's and now we still have some vacancy during that period.
If you are interested in this festival, you should come Nozawa onsen to see it.
I am telling you, you all are gonna love it!
Here is a short introduction.
The "Dosojin" Fire Festival is one of the three most famous fire festivals in Japan. It is held on January 15th every year to pray for a plentiful harvest, health and good fortune for the coming year. The festival centers around the shaden (shrine), where the fourty-two years old male villagers sit on top and the twenty-five years old stand guard at the base. Torch bearing villagers of all ages attempt to break through the guards and set fire to the shaden. The entire festival can last up to four hours from beginning to end, but the main attraction is the ensuing battle between the guards and the torch bearing villagers.
