Nagahama Hikiyama Museum

The Nagahama Hikiyama Festival takes place each April, but the seven decorated floats rotate through year-round display at this museum in central Nagahama. Each hikiyama stands 6 to 9 meters tall and weighs up to 6 metric tons, covered in crimson lacquer, gold leaf, detailed carvings, and metalwork that have earned them the nickname mobile art museums. During the festival, children riding inside the floats emerge at each stop to perform kabuki plays for the crowd. At the museum, visitors with a certified guide can enter the glass display bay for a close look at the craftsmanship. Video recordings of past kabuki performances and photographs of the embroidered curtains that hang on each float are shown on the second floor.