Hino Hinamatsuri Kiko in Hino, Shiga

This video, titled "Good Sign Vol.14 "Hino" Hinamatsuri Travelogue" (Good Sign 第14回放送「日野」ひな祭り紀行), was uploaded by "Good Sign."
It introduces Hino Hinamatsuri Kiko, a Hinamatsuri event in Hino, Shiga, located in Japan's Kansai region.
Hino Hinamatsuri Kiko is an annual event held from early February to early March, from Okubo in southeastern Shiga, to the shopping arcade and merchant residences of Murai and Nishioji.

The cityscape of Hino has a nostalgic atmosphere reminiscent of Japan's Showa Period.
Hina dolls are displayed along the streets and in merchant houses.
There are also special viewing windows called "sajiki-mado" (桟敷窓) with which you can enjoy dolls that are on display.
This can be seen from 1:00 in the video.
Check out the video to see what kind of event "Hino Hinamatsuri Kiko" is.

Hinamatsuri - A Traditional Japanese Event

Photo：Hinamatsuri

Hinamatsuri is an event celebrated on March 3rd, traditionally known as "Momo no Sekku" (the Peach Festival) to wish for the healthy growth of girls by decorating hina dolls with peach-blossoms, serving hina-arare (sweet rice cakes), and Japanese sweets, and preparing food such as chirashizushi, a type of bright and colorful sushi.

Hina dolls generally consist of a male and female doll (Dairibina, 内裏雛), three or five court ladies (Kanjo, 官女), five musicians (gonin bayashi, 五人囃子), two ministers (Daijin, 大臣), and the protectors (Shicho, 仕丁).

The history of Hinamatsuri dates back to before the Edo period (1603-1868).
Nowadays, Hinamatsuri is a popular event for girls, where hina dolls are decorated and chirashizushi, sweets, and cakes are prepared.
Also, during the event, children sing “Ureshii Hinamatsuri” (Happy Hinamatsuri), which can be seen at the end of the video.

What is "Hino Hinamatsuri Travel Guide"?

"Hino Hinamatsuri Kiko" started in 2008 with the aim of making Hino livelier, says Minoru Nakata, the organizer of the event, shown at 1:12 in the video.

In the past, hina dolls were brought back by merchants of Hino for their daughters when they went out on business.
Hino was a plain town where women and children generally stayed in the home.

Now, there are more than 150 places, including the Omi Hino Merchant Museum (近江日野商人館), Omi Hino Merchant Furusato Hall (近江日野商人ふるさと館), Hino Machikado Kanno (日野まちかど感応館), and Umamioka Watamuki Shrine (馬見岡綿向神社), as well as merchant houses with sajiki windows, private homes, and store counters decorated with hina dolls, attracting tourists to Hino.

Take the bus bound for Kitabataguchi (北畑口) from JR Omihachiman Station (JR近江八幡駅) or Omi Railway Hino Station (近江鉄道日野駅), and get off at Okubo Nishi (大窪西) or the Mukaimachi (向町) bus stop.
There is also a parking for those driving.

You can also enjoy specialties, such as Omi Hino Beef, pickled vegetables from Hino, and Hino Udon.

What are the dates and highlights of the "Hino Hinamatsuri Kiko" 2024?

The 2024 Hino Doll Festival Kikyuki will be held from February 11th to March 10th.The highlights include a number of historical dolls that can be seen from the pier window, as well as a word of the dolls displayed on the bamboo tube, and hina mikuji.It might be interesting to look at the dolls decorated with tasteful streets from a rickshaw.

A handwritten picture map showing the highlights of each of the West and East venues can be found on the website of Hino Hinamatsuri Kikyuki executive committee caretaker Takashi Nakata, so please make sure to prepare it before going out.

Summary of Hino Hinamatsuri Kiko, a Hinamatsuri Event in Hino, Shiga

In this article, we introduced "Hino Hinamatsuri Kiko" along with the video "Good Sign Vol.14 "Hino" Hinamatsuri Travelogue."
You can get a good idea of what Hino looks like during the event.

In addition to old hina dolls, cute origami dolls made by kindergarteners can also be seen in the video.
If you're headed over to Shiga Prefecture, consider dropping by "Hino Hinamatsuri Kiko"!