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Eisa dancing in Okinawa (not at the Zento Eisa Festival; US Marine Corps photo)

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Okinawa Zento Eisa Festival

沖縄全島エイサーまつり · Okinawa City, Okinawa, Japan

Photo: Lance Cpl. Joseph Kreis · Public domain

After the lunar Obon, youth groups from across Okinawa gather in Okinawa City, where drums, sanshin and song combine in the prefecture's largest Eisa festival.

Know before you go

  • Do not enter the performance area
  • do not block the dancers
  • do not use flash directly on the performers

This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.

Stories & people

Stories & people

History

"Let's get our spirit back with Eisa!"

In the 1950s the US military repeatedly issued off-limits orders barring its troops from the Koza area, leaving shopping streets that depended on base spending deserted. In 1956 Koza's commerce association held the All-Island Eisa Contest under the slogan "Let's get our spirit back with Eisa!" Youth groups from all over took part, and the contest grew into today's Zento Eisa Festival.

Source: Wikipedia (Japanese): Okinawa Zento Eisa Festival

Culture

Culture & customs

Background

Eisa is Okinawa's traditional dance for welcoming and sending off ancestral spirits during Obon, when young people parade through their villages beating drums to the sound of sanshin and song. The Zento Eisa Festival began in 1956 as the All-Island Eisa Contest in what was then Koza City. At the time, an off-limits order barring US troops from leaving base had hit the base-dependent local economy hard, and the local commerce association launched the contest with the slogan "Let's get our spirit back with Eisa!" From the 22nd edition in 1977 it became today's Okinawa Zento Eisa Festival. Today the festival lasts three days, bringing together youth associations and preservation societies from across the prefecture, each with its own drumming style, formations and costumes. On the first day a michijunee street parade takes place around the Goya intersection, and the main performances follow over the next two days at the Koza Sports Park athletics stadium. Attendance is said to reach around 300,000 each year.

Local customs

  • Watch the michijunee street parade around the Goya intersection
  • enjoy the main performances by youth groups at the stadium
  • compare the drumming styles and formations of different areas.

Etiquette & taboos

Etiquette & taboos

Rules that apply here

Essential restrictionsSafetyCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Japan: At fireworks festivals, don't tape off spots in advance, and never fly drones

Do

  • Spread your sheet where there is actual space when you arrive, leaving room for neighbours
  • Follow police and staff directions and move with the crowd
  • Bring plenty of water and cooling gear to prevent heatstroke
  • Riverbanks have lots of insects, so bring repellent
  • Festivals usually go ahead in light rain, so bring a raincoat
  • Take your rubbish home

Don’t

  • Don't mark spots in advance with tape or spray paint on roads or in parks
  • Don't fly drones
  • Don't use selfie sticks in crowds; the Sumida River festival bans them
  • Don't stop in the middle of the path to watch and block the flow

Spots marked in advance are cleared by the organisers, and flying drones is prohibited by law. City-centre festivals run one-way crowd flows, and going against the flow or stopping can cause dangerous crushes.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Excite News: Sumida River Fireworks, access and viewing guide

Essential restrictionsHot springsCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Mixed, open-air and private baths: read the signs, don't stare, never take photos

Do

  • Check the signs before entering; mixed baths are clearly marked, and joining is entirely your choice
  • Most mixed baths are nude only, with no swimwear; some allow or lend special bathing wraps or towels, so follow the bath's rules
  • If you prefer not to bathe mixed, use the separate men's and women's baths or a private bath
  • Outdoor baths are slippery and the temperature changes sharply; hold the handrails when moving
  • Use a private bath only within your booked slot and leave on time
  • Tohoku and other regions still have many therapeutic hot springs with mixed bathing; for long therapeutic stays, follow the ryokan's and your doctor's advice

Don’t

  • Don't stare at other bathers, strike up conversations, or linger to watch
  • Don't take photos or videos in the bath area
  • Don't overstay a private bath; the next group is waiting

Mixed bathing works only because bathers keep their eyes to themselves; staring or taking photos will get you asked to leave, and filming others in a bath may break local law.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Wikipedia (Japanese): Konyoku

Essential restrictionsPhotos & dronesCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Stay off private land, and ask before photographing children or people

Do

  • Ask parents' permission before photographing their children
  • Ask geiko, maiko, and other working people before photographing them
  • Check for 撮影禁止 (no photography) signs, and ask staff if there are none
  • Photograph trains and stations themselves without disrupting operations

Don’t

  • Do not enter private homes or land for a shot
  • Do not photograph the inside of homes
  • Do not aim your camera at individual passengers on trains or buses
  • Do not step into rice paddies, flower beds, or along railway tracks for photos
  • Do not use selfie sticks or tripods in crowds or dangerous spots
  • Do not chase or stop geiko or maiko

Trespassing on private land is illegal and can get you told to leave or to delete your photos. Shooting in no-photo areas will be stopped, and photographing children is seen as an invasion of privacy.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Aichi Now: Sightseeing Manners

Essential restrictionsHot springsCountry-wide guidance · Japan

Bathe nude in the onsen and keep your towel out of the water

Do

  • Bathe fully nude, without swimwear or underwear
  • Rest your small towel on your head or the edge of the bath
  • Tie up long hair so it stays out of the water
  • Enter the bath slowly and keep quiet
  • Leave your phone in the locker
  • Keep your first soak short, and dry off before returning to the changing room

Don’t

  • Do not dip your towel into the bath
  • Do not swim, dive, or talk loudly in the bath
  • Do not take photos anywhere in the bathing area
  • Do not wrap your yukata right side over left; that is how the deceased are dressed

Most of these are written bathhouse rules. Breaking them gets you a reminder from staff, and in serious cases you may be asked to leave. Soaking too long can also make you dizzy.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Authentic Local Japan: Onsen Etiquette

Don’t DON'T

  • Do not enter the performance area
  • do not block the dancers
  • do not use flash directly on the performers

Locals appreciate DO

  • Remember that Eisa is a dance for welcoming and sending off ancestors, and watch respectfully
  • use public transport
  • guard against the heat and drink plenty of water

Plan your visit

Practical info

2027 datesAugust 27 – 29, 2027

Travel tips

  • Held on the weekend (Friday to Sunday) after the week of the lunar Obon, usually between late August and early September
  • check the official announcement for exact dates. The first day is around the Goya intersection and the next two days at the Koza Sports Park athletics stadium. Okinawa City has no railway, so take a route bus from Naha
  • roads are closed during the festival, so allow plenty of time, and watch for schedule changes during typhoon season.

2027 schedule

  • The lunar Obon in 2027 falls on August 14–16
  • by past practice the festival would be around August 27–29, with exact dates awaiting official announcement.
Sources & verification notes

Wikipedia (Japanese): Okinawa Zento Eisa Festival

Wikipedia (Japanese): Eisa

Ryukyu Shimpo: Notice of the 69th Okinawa Zento Eisa Festival

Festival Calendar

Other festivals in Aug

All festivals in Aug