A 700-kilogram traditional Japanese mikoshi makes an appearance at the Taipei Hot Spring Festival

▲ Carrying a mikoshi is a traditional Japanese custom. (Photo / Provided by the Taipei Hot Spring Development Association, the same below)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

Want to see Japanese mikoshi? Come to the Taipei Hot Spring Festival！Guided by the Taipei City Government’s Department of Information and Tourism, the Taipei Hot Spring Festival first introduced the "Matsuyama Grand Mikoshi – Dogo Hachimachi Men's Festival" in 2011, and the exhilarating, bustling scene left attendees eager for more.In 2015, four mikoshi, each weighing nearly 700 kilograms and requiring a hundred strong men to carry, were brought over from Matsuyama, Japan, for a performance in Taiwan. They were also part of a mass prayer event that kicked off the hot spring festival and prayed for peace and prosperity in the years to come, recreating that energetic and passionate atmosphere..

Taiwan has divine processions and the God of Thunder's island tours, while Japan has mikoshi parades around the city. As the saying goes: “To understand Japanese culture, start with the mikoshi!” This phrase shows just how important mikoshi are in Japanese culture, history, and people's lives.

▲ Mikoshi carriers don festive attire and work together to lift the mikoshi up and down.

At major Japanese festivals such as Kyoto's Gion Matsuri, Osaka's Tenjin Matsuri, and Tokyo's Kanda Matsuri—known as the Three Great Festivals of Japan—the mikoshi plays a central role. Compared to the mikoshi used during Taiwanese deity processions, Japanese mikoshi are larger in size and more elaborately designed, often featuring a phoenix on top symbolizing great fortune. During mikoshi processions in Japan, carriers wear attire appropriate for the specific festival as a sign of reverence for the deities. Sometimes they vigorously shake the mikoshi, and other times they may raise it high. The former is believed to invigorate the spirit within the mikoshi, while the latter symbolizes sending the deity to the heavens. This year, these authentic traditions will be presented in full at the Taipei Hot Spring Festival.

2015 Taipei Hot Spring Festival Mikoshi Collision Event
Time: 10/30 (Fri) 15:00, 10/31 (Sat) 9:00, 11/1 (Sun) 15:30
Location: Starting from Daye Road, beside the south side road near the plaza of Xinbeitou MRT Station