Every fourth Saturday of September, visitors to Hida Furukawa can experience the magical atmosphere of the “Kitsunebi” Fox-Fire Wedding Festival straight from the tales of Japanese folklore – featuring a procession of torch-carrying “foxes” that parade around town before the wedding ceremony.
Fox-fire (“kitsune-bi” in Japanese) describes the eerie, spirit-like torch fire seen at night during a fox wedding procession, not unlike the Will-o’-the-wisps in European cultures, where flickering lights seen at night in places like forests and marshes were thought to be wandering spirits.
The fox-wedding couple is selected from real-life couples applying from all over the country, and it’s said that those who catch a glimpse of the foxes’ wedding ceremony will be blessed with a bountiful fall harvest, safety for family members, and financial success in their businesses. So come get your face painted like a fox, and witness this captivating one-of-a-kind festival!
Date: Saturday, September 23rd
Time: 1:00pm-9:00pm (wedding procession from 6:30pm)
Venue: Hida Furukawa downtown area
Directions: 5-minute walk from JR Hida-Furukawa Station
For more info:
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