Takachiho Night Kagura

Each evening at Takachiho Shrine, four excerpted dances from the 33-act Yokagura cycle are performed by masked dancers re-enacting Shinto creation mythology, including the famous scene of Amaterasu's cave emergence. The full overnight kagura runs from November to February in farmhouse settings, lasting from dusk to dawn, but the nightly shrine performance offers a 1-hour introduction. The dances hold UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status.