A Festival Full of Demon Characters: Chayamachi Oni Festival　茶屋町鬼まつり

Date; The third Sunday in November every year
Location; Chayamachi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture—Chayamachi Station Plaza
Access; It takes about 20 minutes from Okayama Station on the local train bound for Kojima. From Tokyo, it takes about 3 hours by bullet train (Shinkansen). From Hakata, it takes about 1.5 hours.

Kurashiki city official https://www.kurashiki-tabi.jp/rm_see/rm-see221/

Oni, Oni, Oni

It’s about a 20-minute train ride from Okayama Station. When you arrive at Chayamachi Station, you’ll be greeted by a demon (called Oni). When you walk right out of the station, you’ll see…

Oni, oni,oni…Anyway, it’s full of Oni.Today is the Oni Festival.

There’s even a bronze statue of oni in front of the station.

Not only are there masks on display, but there are also oni wandering around. There were stalls selling Oni merchandise and food and drink vendors.

Don’t miss the Oni Taiko drum performance

A drum performance by the Oni demons on stage.

On that day, there was one performance around 11:00 a.m. and another around 2:00 p.m.
According to old local records, an oni named Ura was originally vanquished. However, as is likely the case everywhere, it may also symbolize the battle between the invading army and the local forces.
In the opposite direction, there’s also a popular tourist spot and a historic district. You’ll want to visit both. https://discoverdeeperjapan.com/2026/07/18/kurashiki-the-town-of-historic-warehouses-is-always-a-popular-tourist-destination/