Hirayu Waterfall Ice Festival 2027: Light-up, Buses, Stays

The Hirayu waterfall freezes. From late December the Hirayu Great Falls (Hirayu Otaki), a 64 m drop in the Okuhida district of Takayama, turns into a wall of ice pillars, and for eleven nights in February the Okuhida Onsengo Tourism Association lights it green and blue, with a small fireworks show every evening. The 2027 dates are 15 to 25 February, the same 15th-to-25th window the festival keeps every year. The light-up runs 19:00 to 21:00, which matters more than it sounds: the last Nohi bus from Hirayu back to Takayama leaves at 17:30, so the festival is a reason to sleep in Hirayu Onsen rather than a day trip. Dates, hours and the bus times below were checked against the organiser’s, the tourism association’s and the bus company’s own pages on 4 November 2026; we update this page and the events calendar if any of them change.

2027 at a glance

Dates	Monday 15 to Thursday 25 February 2027 (every year 15 to 25 February)
Light-up	19:00 to 21:00 nightly, green and blue light on the ice pillars
Fireworks	“Snow fireworks” from about 20:30 every night of the festival, at the Hirayu Onsen ski area
Free extras	Zenzai (sweet red-bean soup) and amazake served free each evening near the Ankiya restaurant by the ski area
Admission	Free
Venue	Hirayu Great Falls and the Hirayu Onsen ski area, Hirayu, Okuhida Onsengo, Takayama (postcode 506-1433)
Weather	The programme can change or be cancelled in bad weather, and the fireworks may be delayed
Bus	Nohi’s Shin-Hotaka line from Takayama, about 50 minutes to the Otakiguchi-Campground-mae stop, then a walk of about 20 minutes; adult fare to Hirayu ¥1,600
Last bus back	17:30 from Hirayu Onsen, 17:32 from the Otakiguchi stop, in Takayama 18:31: before the lights come on
Information	Hirayu Onsen Tourist Information, 0578-89-3030 (in the Okuhida Visitor Centre, 9:00 to 17:00, closed Wednesdays per the 2025-26 winter leaflet)

What you see

The Hida Takayama tourism association calls Hirayu Otaki one of the three great waterfalls of Hida: 64 m high and about 6 m wide according to Japanese Wikipedia, on the Hirayu River, and on the national list of 100 famous waterfalls. In the hard cold that sets in from late December the fall grows into huge ice pillars, and the festival, in the association’s words, lights those pillars in green and blue. The hero photo above shows the fall in late November, before the big freeze, with the first icicles along the cliff; by mid-February the white column in that picture is the thing that is lit.

The programme is the same every night. The lights come on at 19:00 and go off at 21:00. From about 20:30 the “snow fireworks” go up from the Hirayu Onsen ski area, which sits between the village and the falls, and free zenzai and amazake are handed out near the Ankiya restaurant next to the ski area. Everything is free. The organiser warns that the programme can be changed or cancelled by weather, and the tourism association adds that the fireworks can be delayed on a bad night; in a mountain valley in February, that is worth taking seriously.

The Hirayu Onsen ski area, where the festival fireworks go up, on 27 December 2009. Photo: Kazuyanagae, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Getting there by bus, and the walk in

Nohi Bus’s Takayama to Hirayu to Shin-Hotaka line is the only public transport. In winter it leaves the Takayama Nohi Bus Center at 7:40 and then at 40 minutes past every hour from 8:40 to 18:40 (the 7:00 bus runs April to November only, and the two early express buses are summer and autumn services). Get off at Otakiguchi-Campground-mae (大滝口・キャンプ場前), the stop before Hirayu Onsen: the 1 April 2026 timetable has the 17:40 bus there at 18:32 and the 18:40 bus at 19:32, and about 52 minutes is typical for the run. From the stop it is a walk of about 20 minutes to the falls, by the tourism association’s reckoning; from the Hirayu Bus Terminal in the village it is about 25 minutes on foot according to Japanese Wikipedia. The adult fare from Takayama is ¥1,600 to Hirayu; buy the ticket at the window or the machine before boarding, as our getting-around page explains, and if you are also going up to the Shin-Hotaka Ropeway the Takayama and Shin-Hotaka 2-day ticket (¥4,400, from Nohi’s ticket page) covers every ride on the line.

Nohi warns that heavy snow and city congestion can delay winter buses significantly. More to the point, the timetable ends early: the last bus toward Takayama leaves Hirayu Onsen at 17:30 and passes the Otakiguchi stop at 17:32, reaching the bus centre at 18:31. There is no bus after the light-up. If you take the 18:40 from Takayama, arriving at the stop at 19:32, you see the lights and the fireworks and then you stay in Hirayu. Lockers and luggage forwarding for a one-night detour are on the luggage page.

Hirayu Bus Terminal on 15 February 2017, the opening day of that year’s festival. Photo: Miyuki Meinaka, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Driving in snow

By car the tourism association gives about 45 minutes from the Takayama interchange of the Chubu-Jukan expressway and about 60 minutes from the Matsumoto interchange of the Nagano expressway, with parking for cars and coaches at the venue. Two cautions. The Okuhida association’s own winter leaflet asks every driver to fit studless tyres or chains, and tells visitors to its night events to come with proper snow gear so that cars do not slip and people do not fall. And the Hirayu Pass road (the prefectural Norikura Park line) is closed from 2 November 2026 to 14 May 2027, so the national road through the tunnel is the way in, as our getting-around page lists.

A rental car makes sense if you want to combine the falls with the other Okuhida light-ups below, which are spread along the valley with thin bus service after dark. Rent it with winter tyres, and only if you have driven on snow before: getting-here explains why most people arriving by air pick the car up at Chubu Centrair, and DiscoverCars at Chubu Centrair lists the suppliers there. Ask the supplier for studless tyres when you book; in this valley in February they are not optional.

Staying in Hirayu Onsen

Hirayu is one of the five Okuhida hot-spring villages, 26 lodgings strong by Japanese Wikipedia’s count, with springs up to 90 °C and a legend that a white monkey showed the weary soldiers of a Takeda army where the water came out. For the festival it is the obvious base: the bus terminal, the ski area and the falls are all within a half-hour walk of each other, and the ryokan baths are where you thaw out after the fireworks. The relax hub covers Okuhida’s day-use baths and the stay hub sorts Takayama’s and Okuhida’s ryokan by area. For a live search of the village, try Hirayu Onsen on Agoda or Hirayu Onsen on Booking.com, and book early: 26 inns do not go far over eleven nights of light-up.

If Hirayu is full, the bus line continues through Fukuchi, Shin-Hirayu and Tochio to Shin-Hotaka, each with its own winter light-up (below); the 18:40 bus from Takayama reaches Fukuchi, Shin-Hirayu and Tochio before 20:00 and Shin-Hotaka Onsen at 20:09.

The two weeks before: the Nakao Kamakura Festival

In the fortnight before the falls are lit, Shin-Hotaka Onsen holds the Nakao Kamakura Festival: 1 to 10 February 2027, 20:00 to 21:00, in the grounds of the Hakusan Shrine on the Nakao plateau, where snow huts (kamakura) are built and lit. The organiser’s page carries two warnings: parking around the venue is short, and although there is a dedicated car park there is no shuttle bus. By public transport it is for people sleeping in Shin-Hotaka: Nohi’s 18:40 bus from Takayama reaches the Nakao Hakusan Shrine stop at 20:05 on the demand-service loop (no reservation is needed to get off there, only to board on that section toward Shin-Hotaka), and the last bus back from that stop leaves at 13:54.

Okuhida’s ice light-ups

Three more installations run from late December 2026 to the end of February 2027, all free, all on the same bus line, so a night in the valley can take in more than the falls:

• Aodaru light-up, Fukuchi Onsen, near the Fukuchi Onsen bus stop, 17:00 to 22:00: “blue icicles”, lit.
• Taruma Kanekoori light-up, Shin-Hirayu Onsen, in the riverside park around the Taruma Falls, 17:00 to 21:30.
• Horadani Yukizakura light-up, Tochio Onsen, along the Horadani stream, 17:00 to 23:00: “snow cherry blossom”.

The Okuhida association brands the whole set, with the falls festival and the kamakura, as “Okuhida Winter Story” (Okuhida Fuyu Monogatari); its events page carries the current dates and the contact number 0578-89-2614.

What to wear

The leaflet’s advice, snow gear sufficient to stop you falling, translates into: insulated waterproof boots with grip, or pull-on spikes, for a 20-minute walk on snow and a half hour standing still for the lights and the fireworks; a headlamp or torch in case the road back to the village is dark; and gloves you can take photos in. The ski area is open by day (8:00 to 17:00 per the leaflet), so a plan that works is a day on the slope or in the baths, the light-up at 19:00, the fireworks at 20:30, zenzai, and the ryokan bath.

Book the trip

1. The room. Hirayu Onsen on Agoda or Hirayu Onsen on Booking.com, one night between 15 and 25 February 2027, before anything else: the last bus leaves before the lights.
2. The way in. From abroad and from Japan’s airports, the getting-here page has every route to Takayama with fares and the rail passes; from Takayama the getting-around page has the Okuhida buses and passes.
3. The car, if you drive. DiscoverCars at Chubu Centrair, with studless tyres requested at booking.
4. The rest of the year. The spring festival on 14 to 15 April and the autumn festival on 9 to 10 October are the town’s two big days; the tours hub lists what starts from Takayama, and the Takayama guide is the overview.

FAQ

When is the Hirayu waterfall lit in 2027? 15 to 25 February 2027, 19:00 to 21:00 each night, with fireworks from about 20:30. The festival keeps the same 15 to 25 February dates every year.

Is the waterfall really frozen? The tourism association says the fall turns into huge ice pillars from late December in a normal winter; the light-up is on those pillars. In a warm year the ice is thinner, and the programme can be cut by weather.

Can I do it as a day trip from Takayama by bus? No. The last bus toward Takayama leaves Hirayu Onsen at 17:30, before the light-up. By bus you stay the night in Hirayu or one of the other Okuhida villages.

Does it cost anything? No. Admission, the fireworks, the zenzai and the amazake are all free. The bus is ¥1,600 each way from Takayama.

How far is the walk? About 20 minutes from the Otakiguchi-Campground-mae bus stop, about 25 minutes from the Hirayu Bus Terminal, on snow.

What about the Nakao Kamakura Festival? 1 to 10 February 2027, 20:00 to 21:00, at the Hakusan Shrine on the Nakao plateau in Shin-Hotaka Onsen: the fortnight before the falls, with no shuttle and little parking.

Sources

Checked on 4 November 2026.

• Okuhida Onsengo Tourism Association, 奥飛騨冬物語 events page (the falls festival “開催期間：2027年2月15日〜2月25日”, “ライトアップ：19:00〜21:00”, nightly snow fireworks from about 20:30, free zenzai and amazake near お食事処あんき屋, venue 平湯温泉（平湯大滝・平湯温泉スキー場周辺）, the weather note “気象条件等により変更・中止となる場合があります”; the Nakao Kamakura Festival “2027年2月1日〜2月10日”, “20:00〜21:00”, 新穂高温泉 中尾高原 白山神社境内, “会場周辺は駐車場が不足しています”, “シャトルバスの運行はありません”; the Aodaru, Taruma Kanekoori and Horadani Yukizakura light-ups “2026年12月下旬〜2027年2月末日” with their venues and hours; contact 0578-89-2614): winterstory.okuhida.or.jp; the 2025-26 Okuhida Winter Story stamp-rally leaflet (the request “お車でお越しの際は、スタッドレスタイヤ、タイヤチェーンの装着をお願いします”, the snow-gear note “冬期イベントのため車のスリップや歩行中の転倒などないよう、雪用の装備を十分に行った上で参加をお願いします”, Hirayu Onsen Tourist Information in the Okuhida Visitor Centre, 平湯763-12, 0578-89-3030, 9:00 to 17:00, closed Wednesdays, the ski area’s 8:00 to 17:00 and the adjacent Ankiya, the five event venues): okuhida.or.jp (PDF)
• Hida Takayama Tourism Association, 平湯大滝結氷まつり (the yearly rule “毎年2/15～2/25”, “飛騨三大名瀑のひとつ「平湯大滝」は落差64メートルで、12月下旬の厳冬の訪れとともに巨大な氷柱へと姿を変えていきます”, green and blue lighting, free admission, address 〒506-1433 岐阜県高山市奥飛騨温泉郷平湯, bus access “高山濃飛バスセンターから新穂高温泉行きバスで約50分、「大滝口・キャンプ場前」下車徒歩約20分”, car access from Takayama IC and Matsumoto IC, parking for coaches and cars, contact 平湯温泉観光案内所 0578-89-3030, the note “悪天候により中止する場合や、天候状況で打上げが遅れる場合があります”): hidatakayama.or.jp
• Nohi Bus, 平湯・新穂高線 timetable dated 1 April 2026 (departures from the Takayama bus centre, the 大滝口・キャンプ場前 and 平湯温泉 times, the 7:00 bus’s “4/1～11/30運転”, the last 平湯温泉 17:30 departure toward Takayama arriving 18:31, the 中尾白山神社 stop times and the demand-service note, the festival-day detours): nouhibus.co.jp (PDF); Shin-Hotaka line page (adult fare ¥1,600 to Hirayu Onsen, about one bus an hour, holiday timetable on 12/29 to 1/3): nouhibus.co.jp; tickets and passes: nouhibus.co.jp/english/ticket
• Japanese Wikipedia, 平湯大滝 (64 m, about 6 m wide, 日本の滝百選, the Hirayu River, “毎年2月には氷瀑がライトアップされ”, 25 minutes on foot from the bus terminal, coordinates) and 平湯温泉 (26 lodgings, springs to 90 °C, the white-monkey legend): ja.wikipedia.org, ja.wikipedia.org
• Winter bus delays, the Hirayu Pass closure dates, the Nohi passes and the Centrair car-rental figures, as checked on our getting-around and getting-here pages
• Map coordinates: the falls from Japanese Wikipedia; the Hirayu Bus Terminal, the ski area and the Hirayu Campground from OpenStreetMap (the campground pin stands for the Otakiguchi-Campground-mae stop in front of it, which OpenStreetMap does not map by name)

Photos

Hero: Hirayu Great Falls in early winter, 23 November 2007, before the February freeze. Photo: 663highland, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons. Body photos credited under each image.