The Kurayami Festival: Beyond the Shadows

The Kurayami Matsuri (Darkness Festival) is a seven-day festival held every year from April 30 to May 6 at Fuchu’s Okunitama Shrine in Tokyo. It is one of the Kanto region’s oldest and most significant festivals, known for its “darkness” theme. The highlights are floats and mikoshi (portable shrines) carried through the streets in the evening on two of its nights. This is my photography report from 4 May, 2026.

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My first visit to Okunitama Shrine’s Kurayami Matsuri in Fuchu was in 2026. Also known as the Darkness Festival, it originally took place after the city’s lights were turned out. The event is dedicated to the deity, Okunitama-no-okami, who protects the Musashino region. Now, it is a Tokyo designated Intangible Folk Cultural Asset. I had a great night time experience.

While the event is smaller than the Sanja, the Kurayami goes for a whole seven days! It also takes place over Japan’s famous Golden Week, which is a series of public holidays. If you go, be prepared for crowds.

I got there around 3:30 p.m., well before sunset to give me plenty of time to work out a plan. My first idea was to head to the shrine, see what was happening there and then scout a position for photographs. The only thing I knew was that much of the action for that night’s Kurayami Festival would take place on the old Koshu Kaido (now known as Keyaki Namiki-Dori) , one of Edo’s major roads.

The road was the perfect place for this event. Keyaki is the Japanese word for the Zelkova tree, some of which might be 30 meters high, line the road. They were the perfect background because they muted the afternoon setting sun.

The procession: Floats, flutes, and folklore

At 6 p.m. the floats, (山車 or dashi) appeared. The wheeled carriages adorned with beautiful wooden carvings were man-powered. By that I mean, teams pulled them with huge ropes. When they got into their assigned positions along Keyaki Namiki-Dori, they were pushed backwards and forwards many times to finesse them into position.

The floats carried two sets of performers. One was the musicians with their fue (flutes), taiko (drums), and kane (gongs and bells). The other were the dancers, Hyottoko (火男), Okame (阿亀), foxes, and lions! Due to the length of the night’s activities, each person danced or played for a certain amount of time then they were replaced by another.

What are Hyottoko and Okame?

Hyottoko: He is a comical male character portrayed through the use of a mask with its mouth puckered to one side. Sometimes he might even have different eye sizes. At this Kurayami Festival, I saw one with two complete bug eyes! The performers often wear a scarf around his head (usually white with blue dots).

Okame, also known as Ofuku (おふく): She is usually portrayed as an ugly, plump woman, good-natured and humorous associated with Hyottoko.

The two of them do a humorous Japanese folk dance using rhythmic and silly movements. On some floats, they were joined by foxes and lions.

The Shishimai: Why do the lions “bite”?

Yes, lions dance at Japanese festivals and they can be hard to shoot in the dark. They perform the Shishimai (Lion Dance) where the performers move with a sudden, jerky energy meant to ward off evil spirits. They also protect people through an interesting ritual.

I watched as some lions “bit” the heads of local children which is a traditional blessing for good health. From a photographer’s perspective, this is the ‘money shot,’ but you need fast reactions to spot it happening and then capture it in the dim street light.

Photography tips: Shooting the Kurayami Matsuri in low light

For my time at the festival, sunset was at 6:30 p.m. which meant we should have had golden and blue hours for our photography. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out like that. The trees and buildings blocked out most of the light. The sky looked great, but at ground level it was quite dark. The Kurayami Festival lived up to its name.

I had the camera for the job, a Canon EOS R5 with two lenses, the RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM and the RF 16mm f/2.8 STM. They were good enough for the job, but I have to admit a slightly faster medium zoom would be great. Still, I had an extra card up my sleeve as Adobe Lightroom can deal with any noise issues. I needed that because many of my shots were taken at ISO 12800. But I knew it wouldn’t be a problem because I had already done this with the Hachioji Festival.

One funny thing, I got so wrapped up in this festival that I attended for the first time, that I kind of abandoned camera settings! In some cases I wanted to freeze the action so I adjusted my shutter speed forgetting that my ISO was sky high. That’s a bit embarrassing, but I got the job done.

Is the Kurayami Festival worth it?

Absolutely! The Kurayami Matsuri is a festival with a difference. It requires you to work in the dark. While the low light and fast-moving performers present a challenge, your reward will be a set of images that will last a lifetime.

If you plan to attend, my best advice is to arrive early, scout your spot on Keyaki Namiki-Dori, and don’t be afraid to push your sensor to its limits. As the festival goes for seven days, you have plenty of chances for photos. You could even go to some of the daytime events. For more information, look at Okunitama Shrine’s website.

Are you planning to photograph a festival in Japan this year? Let me know which one you’ll be going to. Comments and questions are always welcome.