Nikko Autumn Festival

The Nikko Autumn Festival (Tosho-gu Aki Matsuri) is held on 17 October each year, with the principal event being a procession of approximately 1,200 participants in Edo-period samurai armour carrying the portable shrine (mikoshi) of Tokugawa Ieyasu through the cedar avenues of the Tosho-gu shrine complex. The procession follows the same route used at the spring festival (Yayoi Matsuri in May) and is equally elaborate, but the autumn setting adds the backdrop of the surrounding forest beginning to change colour - Nikko’s autumn foliage typically starts in the first week of October and reaches lower elevations around the shrine complex by mid-month.

The Procession

The Hyakumonin Musha Gyoretsu (Procession of One Hundred Warriors) departs from the stone torii gateway of Tosho-gu Shrine in the morning and moves through the cedar-lined approach roads with full Edo ceremonial protocol. Participants carry banners, weapons, and offerings in order of historical rank. The portable shrines of the three deified figures enshrined at Tosho-gu - Tokugawa Ieyasu, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Minamoto no Yoritomo - are carried at the procession’s centre.

The procession takes approximately one hour to complete its route. Viewing from the roadside along the approach is free. Grandstand seats within the Tosho-gu precincts require a ticket, purchased separately from the standard Tosho-gu admission fee (approximately 1,300 yen as of 2026 for the main complex). Check the official Tosho-gu website for the grandstand ticket price and sale date.

Combining with Autumn Foliage

17 October often coincides with the early stages of autumn colour at Nikko’s lower elevations. The Irohazaka Winding Road to Lake Chuzenji typically peaks a week or two earlier, in late September to early October. The town of Nikko itself - the Jinja area around Tosho-gu and the cedar avenues of Suginamiki - reaches colour around mid to late October, making the festival date a reasonable overlap point. The Japan Meteorological Corporation publishes annual koyo forecasts from September; checking these before booking allows you to align the festival visit with peak colour at your preferred elevation.

Getting There

Nikko is reached from Asakusa in Tokyo by Tobu Nikko Line limited express (approximately 2 hours) or from Ueno by JR Nikko Line via Utsunomiya. The Tosho-gu complex is approximately 30 minutes on foot from Nikko Station, or served by buses from the station. See our Nikko guide for transport, accommodation, and what else to see during a Nikko visit.