Namahage Museum, Akita | Japan is Nippon

A museum of the Namahage, the visiting deities of Oga's New Year's Eve, with over 150 real masks and a reenactment of the ritual in a farmhouse next door.

Stone-walled entrance of the Namahage Museum in Oga, Akita — Photo: Kumpei Shiraishi, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Namahage figures in straw capes and wooden masks standing on fake snow — Photo: Douglas P Perkins (Douglaspperkins (talk)), CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What is Namahage?

Namahage is a folk ritual held on omisoka, New Year's Eve (31 December), in Oga, Akita Prefecture. Young men of each village put on demon-like masks and straw costumes and go from house to house, bellowing "Naku ko wa inega?" ("Are there any crybabies here?"). They look frightening, but to the people of Oga they are raiho-shin, visiting deities: gods who come from outside at the turn of the year to scold laziness and bring a year free of illness and the bounty of the fields, mountains and sea. The households that receive them prepare food and sake and welcome them with time-honoured etiquette.

The name is said to come from namomi-hagi, meaning to peel off namomi, the heat blisters that form on your hands and feet if you sit too long by the irori (a sunken hearth in the floor used for heating and cooking) in winter. Namahage was designated a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 1978, and in 2018 it was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list as one of the "Raiho-shin, ritual visits of deities in masks and costumes".

A display of more than 150 masks

The highlight is the "Namahage Line-up" corner. More than 150 masks actually used in villages all over Oga are displayed side by side, and you can see how completely their expressions and materials differ from village to village. The building's exterior makes extensive use of Oga stone, quarried from nearby Mount Kanpu.

There is also the Hall of Mystery, introducing Oga's natural environment and folk tools; the Namahage Tradition Hall, which screens Namahage no Ichiya (A Night of Namahage), a film documenting the New Year's Eve ritual; and special exhibitions of masks from similar rituals elsewhere in Akita Prefecture and overseas. There is even a corner where you can install an app on your own smartphone and transform into a Namahage with AR (augmented reality).

According to the official website, Chiaki Ishikawa, a carver of Namahage masks, also gives occasional demonstrations of carving masks by hand.

Experience New Year's Eve at the Oga Shinzan Folklore Museum next door

Next to the Namahage Museum is the Oga Shinzan Folklore Museum, housed in a magariya (an L-shaped farmhouse) typical of the Oga area. It is a nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property. Here a Namahage folk custom lecture of about 20 minutes is held. After an explanation of the New Year's Eve ritual in the Kitaura Shinzan district, the Namahage storm into the house right in front of you as it is reenacted.

The real ritual takes place at night on New Year's Eve in local homes, so travellers almost never get the chance to see it. The great thing about this lecture is that you can feel the atmosphere up close. It is included in a combined ticket with the Namahage Museum. Lecture times and prices change with the season, so check the official website.

Getting there

The Namahage Museum is in the hills of Mount Shinzan, on the north side of the Oga Peninsula. From Akita Station, take the JR Oga Line to Oga Station, then take the Namahage Shuttle (about 25 minutes), which must be booked in advance, or a taxi. By local bus you will need to change buses. By car it is about 90 minutes from Akita Airport.

Shinzan Shrine is about a five-minute walk away, so you can visit it at the same time.

Tips

If you are driving, the official website asks visitors to use the second or third car park (notice from August 2026). Searching your car navigation system for names such as Namahage-kan Daini Chushajo (second car park) makes things easier.
The lectures at the Oga Shinzan Folklore Museum start at set times. The official website shows a rough guide to how busy it is, so plan your arrival time to match.
If you are travelling only by public transport, the Namahage Shuttle from Oga Station needs a reservation. Book it before you go.