October is here, and JR Kurashiki Station, Kurashiki Chuodori, and other places are filled with excitement for the “Japan Heritage Festival in Kurashiki.”
The “Japan Heritage Festival in Kurashiki” is an event bringing together recognized Japan Heritage story regions from across the country—104 in total. In 2025, it will mark the 10th anniversary of the Japan Heritage program.
We spoke with the Kurashiki City Japan Heritage Promotion Office and Suinkyo, Kurashiki’s Japan Heritage Ambassador, about the event and why it is being held.
The information presented here is current as of the article’s publication in October 2025. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What Is the “Japan Heritage Festival in Kurashiki”?
The Japan Heritage Festival is Japan’s largest event related to Japan Heritage, bringing together recognized Japan Heritage story regions from across the country—104 in total.
It will be held on Saturday, October 25, and Sunday, October 26, 2025, with Kurashiki Ivy Square as the main venue.
See the images below for details.
What Makes Kurashiki a Special Host City
2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the Japan Heritage program established by the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
The biggest draw is that Kurashiki Ivy Square, a Japan Heritage component cultural property and a Modernization Industrial Heritage site, will serve as the main venue. Admission is free, and anyone can easily take part.
At PR booths for Japan Heritage sites across the country (including Emerald Hall), you can gather information and pick up souvenirs while enjoying the feeling of being on a trip.
At Courtyard Plaza, local students will perform, along with folk performing arts such as Bitchu Kagura. On October 26, visitors can also experience being a Suinkyo, Kurashiki’s Japan Heritage Ambassador.
In connection with UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, there will also be paid tastings of local sake from across Japan and Kurashiki, as well as gourmet foods made with local specialties.
Ahead of the Japan Heritage Festival in Kurashiki, we spoke with Takemasa Yoshihiko of the Kurashiki City Japan Heritage Promotion Office and the jiji and baba Suinkyo, Kurashiki’s Japan Heritage Ambassadors.
Interview Ahead of the Japan Heritage Festival in Kurashiki
Could you tell us how Kurashiki came to host the Japan Heritage Festival?
Takemasa (honorific omitted)
Kurashiki City had long been eager to host the Japan Heritage Festival. We believed that holding the festival would benefit the local economy by bringing many visitors from across Japan and overseas.
We therefore put our name forward as a host city and were selected in a draw. The host city was officially decided at the Japan Heritage League’s general meeting, held alongside the 2021 festival in Komatsu City.
Full-scale preparations began last year, in 2024, about a year after the previous host city, Aizuwakamatsu, announced that Kurashiki would host the next festival.
What makes the Japan Heritage Festival in Kurashiki special?
Takemasa
Kurashiki City has three recognized Japan Heritage stories—the joint highest number nationwide—and component cultural properties throughout the entire city. It is truly a “Japan Heritage city.”
What’s more, this year’s main venue, Kurashiki Ivy Square, is itself a Japan Heritage component cultural property. It is unusual for the festival to be held at one of these properties. We hope that taking part will help people feel closer to Japan Heritage.
Of course, we also hope visitors will fully experience Kurashiki’s charms.
Could you tell us about the highlights and activities?
Takemasa
At the courtyard stage, we plan to have a fashion show and musical performances by local university students, PR presentations by representatives of participating councils from across Japan, and folk performing arts performances.
We also hope you’ll enjoy local cuisine and gourmet dishes made with ingredients from the Takahashi River Basin at the food stalls.
Also, with “traditional sake brewing” recently recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, we will offer paid tastings of sake introduced by Japan Heritage regions across the country, as well as local sake that Kurashiki City is proud of.
If you enjoy sake, please come along.
Who would you like to see come to the festival?
Takemasa
The event was once called a “summit,” so some people may think of it as an event for stakeholders and business professionals.
However, the name was changed from “summit” to “festival” because we wanted it to feel more welcoming to everyone.
We hope that not only local residents but also tourists will join us.
Admission is free, so anyone can drop by at any time and enjoy the festive atmosphere.
What would you like visitors to take away from the event?
Takemasa
We hope the festival will be an opportunity for people to learn what Japan Heritage is. We hope local residents will rediscover Kurashiki’s charms, and that visitors will naturally learn about the history and culture of places across Japan.
Even in places you know well, you’re sure to discover something new. We hope you’ll find something to enjoy.
We also want people to experience the charms of every part of the city, so in addition to these two days, we’re holding a digital stamp rally that runs for about two months.
We’d be delighted if you used it as an opportunity to visit component cultural properties throughout the city and learn more about the region’s history and culture.
Do you have a message for our readers?
Takemasa
Please come to the Japan Heritage Festival in Kurashiki this weekend. We hope you’ll take this opportunity to rediscover Kurashiki’s charms and come to love the city even more.
We look forward to seeing you.
We hear that the Suinkyo, who serve as Kurashiki’s Japan Heritage Ambassadors, will also be taking part on the day.
Suinkyo jiji
Yes.
Suinkyo are the only Japan Heritage component cultural property that can move around.
On the day, Suinkyo will walk around the venue and the Bikan Historical Area to promote the festival.
Suinkyo baba
On the 26th, we’ll also have an activity where you can dress up as Suinkyo. We hope you’ll come to the main venue, Kurashiki Ivy Square.
From the Writer
To be honest, in today’s world, where almost all information is available online, I didn’t see much value in something like an “exposition.”
However, after attending the Osaka-Kansai Expo, which closed on October 13, I realized the importance of “the atmosphere you can only understand by being there” and “a place where different regions and cultures come together.”
Though on a different scale, the Japan Heritage Festival in Kurashiki, which brings together Japan Heritage sites from across the country, is just such a place. I feel that holding it in Kurashiki City is a truly valuable opportunity.
On October 25 and 26, visit Kurashiki Ivy Square and experience Japan’s diverse history and culture through its Japan Heritage stories.
Articles About Japan Heritage in Kurashiki City
Japan Heritage Festival in Kurashiki Information
| Name | Japan Heritage Festival in Kurashiki |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 25 (Sat.) and 26 (Sun.), 2025 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. |
| Location | Kurashiki Ivy Square |
| Admission (tax included) | Free |
| Website | Japan Heritage Festival in Kurashiki |
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