The YATTOKAME FESTIVAL DOORS Executive Committee (organized by Nagoya City and others) is holding YATTOKAME FESTIVAL DOORS, a citywide festival gathering the charms of Nagoya's history and culture in one place. Nagoya Castle, long-established traditional restaurants, parks, and even the street itself become the festival's stage, with doors opening onto Nagoya culture set up all across the city.
Since it began in 2013, the festival has been known as YATTOKAME FESTIVAL DOORS since 2023, and this year marks its 14th edition. The lineup is packed with programs: "Machinaka Gei Hiro," where visitors can experience traditional performing arts on street corners and stages; "Tabisuru Nagoyagaku," which turns the city itself into a textbook; and "Nagoya Wagashi," a tour of the traditional sweets Nagoya takes pride in.
Ticket sales for each program begin at 9:00 AM on September 11 (Fri).
Machinaka Gei Hiro (Street Performances) Program
Director: Kazumasa Nishikawa
Performing arts color familiar street corners, weaving small stories throughout Nagoya. From a wide variety of Nagoya traditional performing arts brought to today's streets, to exquisite stage productions delivered from theaters, the program offers a chance to fully experience "Geidokoro Nagoya" — a Nagoya known for its performing arts — right in the middle of the everyday cityscape.
Pick Up Program 1: Machinaka Gei Hiro Opening at Nadya Park
A packed lineup awaits, including Tsuji Kyogen, a koto and shakuhachi stage, the Shachihoko Challenge, and street kabuki. It marks a lively beginning to the days when Nagoya's streets take on a different look than usual.
Date: October 17 (Sat), 2026, from 1:00 PM
Venue: Nadya Park Atrium
Admission: Free
Tsuji Kyogen — 1:00 PM
Kyogen was born more than 600 years ago, in the early Muromachi period. It is a dialogue-driven comedy that brightly depicts the everyday life of ordinary people. Portraying a human nature that hasn't changed then or now, it delivers warm, easygoing laughter. Enjoy the lines and performances unfolding on stage — street corner stories carried across time into the present.
Performers: Matsujiro Inoue, Sodai Inoue, and others
Koto and Shakuhachi Stage — 1:40 PM
Music adds color to Machinaka Gei Hiro. Enjoy the sound of traditional Japanese instruments performed by members of the Nagoya Sankyoku Association.
Performers: Koto — Mizuki Wakayama (若山美積, 1st grade), Rui Komiyama (小宮山るい, 2nd grade), Sakuu Nagayama (長山桜右, 3rd grade), Yuha Sato (佐藤遊羽, 6th grade), Rio Ishikawa (石川理央, 2nd year of junior high), Rie Asai (浅井りえ); Shakuhachi — Tozan Hirano (平野透山)
Program: Etenraku, Chidori no Kyoku, Akai Hanataba, Yuuki 100%
The Return of the Shachihoko Challenge — 2:10 PM
The beloved "Shachihoko Challenge" is back at YATTOKAME FESTIVAL DOORS after a two-year absence. Participants who took on the "Golden Shachihoko Dance" will show off the results of their practice on stage.
Performers: Participants
Street Kabuki "Nagoya Shinju Sono Go" — 2:40 PM
Script and direction: Kazumasa Nishikawa (4th-generation head of the Nishikawa school of Japanese dance)
Performers: Kudo Kurakagi (工藤倉鍵, 4th-generation head of the Kudo school of Japanese dance), Tokiwazu Tsunatsura (ときわづ綱連), Reisho Mase (間瀬礼章), Action Produce Company RE-act
Pick Up Program 2: Future Tea Masters — Nagoya Children's Tea Ceremony
This year's tea ceremony puts children who will carry Nagoya's tea culture into the future in the leading role, with the children themselves handling everything from preparing tea to serving guests. Though still young, they carry on the spirit of the tea ceremony in their own way, building a moment of shared connection. It's an event that should leave visitors feeling that the future of Nagoya's tea culture is bright. No knowledge of a particular school or of the tea ceremony is required, and anyone is welcome — parents and children together, kids on their own, or adults only.
Note: Open to ages 5 and up.
Host: Koun-an u_15 Team
Venue: Chikusuitei at Koshoji Temple (78 Yagoto-honmachi, Showa Ward, Nagoya)
Date: October 18 (Sun), 2026, four sessions
Price: ¥3,000 (ages 5 and up)
Capacity: 25 per session
Pick Up Program 3: Keiko Lee Meets WA-GAKKI — Jazz Echoes Through a Noh Theater
Keiko Lee, one of Japan's leading jazz vocalists, performed her first concert at Nagoya Noh Theater at the 2021 edition of the festival, blending tsugaru-shamisen and hichiriki with jazz. This year, with new members joining her, she returns to the Noh theater stage to bring together traditional Japanese instruments and jazz once again, her deep, distinctive voice tying it all together — a special lineup found only at YATTOKAME FESTIVAL DOORS.
Date: November 4 (Wed), 2026. Doors open 6:00 PM, show starts 7:00 PM (ending around 8:45 PM)
Venue: Nagoya Noh Theater (1-1 Sannomaru 1-chome, Naka Ward, Nagoya)
Price: SS seats ¥8,500, S seats ¥8,000, A seats ¥7,000, B seats ¥5,000 (all reserved seating, tax included)
Tabisuru Nagoyagaku (Traveling Nagoya Studies) Program
Director: Mariko Kondo
Could the familiar city be hiding expressions never seen and stories never heard? The city is a living textbook, full of new discoveries — a traveling school for learning about Nagoya, encountering once-in-a-lifetime stories and tracing histories few know. From among a total of 47 courses spanning themes such as history, performing arts, culture, architecture, industry, nature, and geography, here are four recommended programs.
Pick Up Program 1: A Walk Through Yobitsugi's Back Alleys With an Old-Road Enthusiast — Following the Former Tokaido, Kamakura Kaido, and Shiotsuke Kaido
The Yobitsugi area of Minami Ward is crossed by three historic roads: the former Tokaido, the Kamakura Kaido, and the Shiotsuke Kaido. Join a Nagoya-born old-road enthusiast for a stroll through the back alleys, tracing the winding old highways and the historic sites nearby that carry a sense of the past.
Date: November 1 (Sun), 2026, 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM
Meeting point: In front of the ticket gates at Yobitsugi Station on the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line
Fee: ¥2,000
Capacity: 15
Guide: Kei Ogikubo (freelance writer)
Pick Up Program 2: Is "Nagoya Meshi" Actually "Neo Japanese Food"?
"Neo Japanese Food," a book on food culture, shines a light on the dishes that evolved in Japan to become national favorites. Author Yukiko Tomiyama singles out Nagoya's local cuisine, Nagoya meshi, as the most "neo" of them all. With Nagoya writer Toshiyuki Otake as interviewer, the program is a chance to taste and learn about the appeal of Nagoya meshi — charm that even UNESCO has overlooked.
Date: November 1 (Sun), 2026, 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Venue: Sekai no Yamachan Shinsakae Branch (2-19-6 Higashisakura, Naka Ward, Nagoya, TS Higashisakura Building)
Fee: ¥4,500 (includes a Nagoya meshi set and one drink)
Capacity: 40
Lecturer: Yukiko Tomiyama (writer, manga researcher, associate professor at Shirayuri University)
Interviewer: Toshiyuki Otake (freelance writer)
Pick Up Program 3: How to Appreciate the Beauty of Nagoya's Traditional Performing Arts — Why Is Nagoya's "Odori" So Fascinating?
This commemorative lecture welcomes Bunkichi Yasuda, who this year received the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon (瑞宝中綬章), to pass on the richness of Nagoya's performing-arts culture to future generations. Researcher Yasuda and Takafumi Honda, who has studied dance under the Nishikawa school and performs as an active dancer, discuss the essence of Nagoya's traditional performing arts.
Date: November 14 (Sat), 2026, 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Venue: Special Conference Room, Nagoya Urban Institute (1-1-1 Kanayama-cho, Naka Ward, Nagoya, inside the Kanayama Minami Building)
Fee: ¥3,000
Capacity: 50
Lecturers: Bunkichi Yasuda (researcher of early modern Japanese literature and performing arts), Takafumi Honda (member of BOYS AND MEN)
Pick Up Program 4: Nagoya's Mysterious Tales and Regional Resources
Starting from the question "What is kaii (the mysterious)?" and running all the way to whether it can become a regional or tourism resource, the program uses "kaii" as a key to open up the challenges and possibilities of two cities: Matsue, the setting of the drama "Bakebake," and Nagoya, which holds on to its own array of mysterious tales and yokai legends.
Date: November 15 (Sun), 2026, 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Venue: Conference Room 1, Nagoya Urban Institute (1-1-1 Kanayama-cho, Naka Ward, Nagoya, inside the Kanayama Minami Building), a short walk from the south exit of Kanayama Station (JR, Meitetsu, subway)
Fee: ¥2,500
Capacity: 50
Lecturers: Bon Koizumi (folklorist), Naoyuki Shimada (yokai culture researcher)
Nagoya Wagashi Program
Nagoya is said to be a wagashi paradise thanks to the breadth and depth of its offerings — from a rich lineup of fresh confections to dried sweets, dango, manju, dorayaki, and arare — all supported by highly skilled artisans and a citizenry that loves its wagashi. For Nagoya's wagashi lovers, the festival has once again put together a full slate of programs this year.
Pick Up Program 1: Nagoya Wagashi You'll Want to Brag About
Every year, shops from across the city take part in the Nagoya Wagashi Tour. Pamphlet in hand (expected to be published mid-October), why not set out on a journey around the wagashi that Nagoya takes pride in?
Period: October 17 (Sat) to November 15 (Sun), 2026
Participating shops (31 total): Aoyagi Sohonke Osu Main Store (青柳総本家 大須本店), Ichida (一朶), Kyogashidokoro Umeya Mitsutaka (京菓子処 梅屋光孝), Osu Uiro Main Store (大須ういろ本店), Kakuozan Furoen (覚王山 不老園), Kyogashishi Kamehiroyoshi (京菓子司 亀広良), Owari Nagoya Kameya Yoshihiro Main Store (尾張名古屋 亀屋芳広 本店), Kawaguchiya (川口屋), Kadoshin Kisaragi (菓道心 如月), Ganso Shachihoko Monaka Main Store (元祖鯱もなか本店), Okashitsukasa Kikuya (御菓子司 菊屋), Okashitsukasa Kikuya Shigetomi (御菓子司 菊屋茂富), Kiyomemochi Sohonke (きよめ餅総本家), Kurikashou Izumi (栗菓匠 和泉), Kowado Main Store (孝和堂本店), Arare no Takumi Shiraki Main Store (あられの匠 白木 本店), Suzumeodori Sohonten (雀踊り総本店), Daikokuya Main Store (大黒屋本店), Okashidokoro Tsukuhaneya (御菓子所 つくは祢屋), Okashidokoro Fukudaya (御菓子処 福田屋), Fukyuen (不朽園), Okashitsukasa Furoen Shoko (御菓子司 不老園正光), Maisuzume Nakago Branch (舞雀 中郷店), Mannendo (万年堂), Okashitsukasa Minochu Main Store (御菓子司 美濃忠本店), Mifukudo (みふく堂), Murasakiya (むらさきや), Mochibun Sohonten (餅文總本店), Yamadamochi Narumi (山田餅なるみ), Okashidokoro Hoko (御菓子所 芳光), Ryoguchiya Korekiyo Higashiyama Branch (両口屋是清 東山店)
Pick Up Program 2: Shouting Out Love for Nagoya Wagashi and Sake
The gathering celebrating the pairing of wagashi and sake has been a hit every year, and by popular demand it's back again. A charismatic wagashi buyer teams up with young successors from Nagoya's wagashi shops for an evening built around the pairing of wagashi and sake. Guests will get to try freshly made wagashi, prepared on the spot by the young shop owners.
Date: October 30 (Fri), 2026, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Venue: FOODLAB.358 TSURUMA PARK (1-156 Tsuruma 1-chome, Showa Ward, Nagoya, Tsuruma Garden)
Fee: ¥6,000 (light food, wagashi, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks provided on the day)
Capacity: 60
Featuring: Chikara Hata (wagashi buyer for all Takashimaya stores), Nagoya Namagashi Association Young Members' Group
Behind the Scenes of YATTOKAME FESTIVAL DOORS
The Idea Behind the Main Visual
Director: Keisuke Takahashi
The main visual depicts kyogen performer Matsujiro Inoue as a model, expressing a "god of laughter" descending on Nagoya and enjoying the city.
This year's shoot took place at Meijo Park, a large park centered on Nagoya Castle. Normally a green, leafy space where residents relax, the park appears in the background alongside IG Arena, one of the venues for this autumn's Asian Games and Asian Para Games. Because this is a festival built by people who love Nagoya, the visual shoot also carries the hope of archiving the city's memory.
The "Yattokame Ambassadors" Supporting Operations and Outreach
YATTOKAME FESTIVAL DOORS is run together with its "Yattokame Ambassadors." During the festival, ambassadors in yellow happi coats help run venues, write reports, and take photos. Their activities are shared regularly on the official note page, so keep an eye out.
The ambassadors share a passion for Nagoya and a wish to make the city even more interesting. Through this activity, the festival hopes to see more people grow attached to Nagoya's streets in their everyday lives.
Event Overview
Caught between east and west, Nagoya has long absorbed and blended everything it received, refining it into a tradition all its own. YATTOKAME FESTIVAL DOORS is a citywide festival for seeing, hearing, touching, and walking through that Nagoya — a celebration of "Geidokoro, Tabidokoro, Nagoya," a place for performing arts and travel alike. By opening a variety of "doors" to Nagoya's culture across the city, it hopes to help visitors rediscover the charm of the area and offer new cultural experiences.
Period: October 17 (Sat) to November 15 (Sun), 2026
Organizer: YATTOKAME FESTIVAL Executive Committee (Nagoya City — Culture and Arts Promotion Division, Tourism Promotion Division, Historical Community Development Promotion Division; Nagoya Board of Education — Cultural Properties Protection Division; Nagoya City Cultural Promotion Foundation; Nagoya Convention & Visitors Bureau; Nagoya Machizukuri Public Corporation; The Chunichi Shimbun; Nagoya Tourism Brand Association; NPO Dai Nagoya University Network); Special cooperation: Creative Link Nagoya
Grants: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Cultural Arts Creation Hub Formation Project), Japan Foundation for Regional Art-Activities (Regional Culture and Arts Activity Grant Program)
Official website: https://yattokame.jp
Ticket Information
Ticket sales begin September 11 (Fri) at 9:00 AM.
Choose the program you'd like from the ticket sites below to apply.
Machinaka Gei Hiro: https://teket.jp/g/fvwfnp81vy
Nagoya City Cultural Promotion Foundation ticket guide (weekdays 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, mail order available): 052-249-9387. Tickets can also be purchased at cultural facilities managed by the Nagoya City Cultural Promotion Foundation, including city cultural halls, Amano Arts Creation Center Nagoya, the Youth Culture Center, and Nagoya Noh Theater (open weekends and holidays too). Availability may vary due to facility closures for construction and other reasons, so check each facility's website.
Tabisuru Nagoyagaku: https://teket.jp/g/ii3n1jer13
Nagoya Wagashi — Shouting Out Love for Nagoya Wagashi and Sake: https://teket.jp/1478/75214
A Preview Program for Tabisuru Nagoyagaku on September 13 (Sun)
September 13 (Sun), 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM: "Finding and Growing Your Own Sense of 'Fun' in Nagoya," featuring Yuji Hayashi, head of Daily Portal Z, and Nagoya-based freelance writer Toshiyuki Otake, digging into what makes something fun in one's own way.
A Full Day of YATTOKAME FESTIVAL DOORS at Kinjo Ichiba on October 31 (Sat)
October 31 (Sat), doors open 11:00 AM, closing 9:00 PM: "A Full Day of YATTOKAME FESTIVAL DOORS at Kinjo Ichiba" brings together Nagoya's wagashi, traditional performing arts, and even niche subcultures in a lively mix — a one-day-only space where a wide range of cultures mingle together.
