Namahage Museum
A stone museum holding more than 150 Namahage masks actually used in Oga's villages.
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Namahage Museum
SaveA stone museum holding more than 150 Namahage masks actually used in Oga's villages.
A film shows Oga's New Year's Eve Namahage rite, and the world's only mask carver works here on some days.
MoreWhat kind of place
More than 150 Namahage masks hang here, gathered from villages all over Oga City, and every one of them was used in the real rite rather than made for a display case.
The building itself is stone, built largely of Oga stone quarried from Mount Kanpu on the Oga Peninsula, and it reopened after a renovation in April 2013.
Chiaki Ishikawa, the only Namahage mask carver in the world, carves by hand in front of visitors three or four days a week, on no set schedule, so seeing him at work is luck rather than something to plan around.
Sources and evidence (23)
- More than 150 Namahage masks of every shape and style are lined up together here, all of them taken from villages around Oga City where they were actually used.source
- The outside is stonework, built largely of Oga stone quarried from Mount Kanpu on the Oga Peninsula.source
- One room, the Mystery Hall, explains the land and climate of Oga that gave rise to the Namahage, using folk objects such as a dugout canoe along with video, graphic panels, and a computer search station.source
- On the screen in the Namahage Densho Hall, a film called A Night of Namahage, about the New Year's Eve custom in Oga, plays every 30 minutes from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.source
- Chiaki Ishikawa, the only Namahage mask carver in the world, gives hand-carving demonstrations three or four days a week, on no set schedule.source
- A special exhibition corner shows masks and other items from folk events similar to Namahage, both elsewhere in Akita Prefecture and overseas.source
- The shop sells Namahage goods you cannot buy anywhere else, alongside local food products and souvenirs.source
- The museum reopened after a renovation in April 2013.source
- In 1978 the practice was designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan under the name Namahage of Oga.source
- The 1978 designation wrote the name in katakana, but locally people often write it in hiragana instead.source
- Walking from the second lot to the building means crossing a sloping road, though traffic on it is light.source
- The entrance can be reached by stairs or by a ramp pitched at 5 degrees.source
- The main entrance has two automatic sliding doors, 190 cm wide on the outside and 187 cm inside, both a little over 6 feet.source
- In summer the front doors are generally left standing open.source
- The interior is flat throughout, with no steps anywhere.source
- The shop doorway is 120 cm (about 4 feet) wide, and the aisles inside are 130 cm (about 4 feet 3 inches), the narrowest one included.source
- The Akita tourism federation's accessibility chart marks the museum as having no free stroller loans.source
- Three self-propelled wheelchairs are available to borrow free of charge.source
- The museum also lends umbrellas, free.source
- A passage runs from the museum exit to Oga Shinzan Denshokan, sloping slightly but with no steps to climb.source
- Oga Shinzan Denshokan is an old farmhouse, so there is a step at the entrance and tatami inside, but a ramp at the back lets wheelchair users join from the wood-floored room.source
- Oga Shinzan Denshokan will also lend a chair to an older visitor with bad knees.source
- The museum takes part in the Akita Kosodate Fureai Card program, a prefectural card for families with children, and families who show the card get 5% off in the shop, with some items excluded.source
With kidsThe part that matters
A wall of more than 150 Namahage masks is a lot to take in cold, so start with the film: it runs every half hour and shows what the masks are for on New Year's Eve.
After that, kids can work along the wall one face at a time, knowing every mask on it was really used in a village around Oga.
The floor is flat the whole way through, with no steps anywhere, so a stroller rolls straight in; parking is free, and half an hour covers the museum itself.
A step-free passage runs from the exit to the old farmhouse next door, Oga Shinzan Denshokan, where the Namahage performances start at set times and each session holds only so many people; you need no reservation, but a call the day before holds your place, so nobody is left waiting for the next one.
Sources and evidence (3)
- Shoes off, you sit on the tatami by the hearth; the namahage stamps, then reads out the household's list of misdeeds.source
- 13 shows a day April to November, 20 minutes each. In the tatami hearth room the namahage finds the child who hides.source
- A booked shared taxi links Oga Station with the Mayama area: the museum, the Denshokan and the shrine. Runs all year.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1The entrance has a ramp at a 5-degree grade and automatic sliding doors, the outer one 190 cm wide, and the floor inside is flat the whole way. You can push the stroller right up to the wall of more than 150 Namahage masks, every one of them actually used in a village around Oga.On the Akita prefecture tourism federation's barrier-free table, the nursing room, the baby bed and the free stroller loan are all marked with a cross. The wheelchair restroom is inside the first-floor exhibition space, 97 cm at the door and 205 by 192 cm inside, and it has a baby chair. Parking is free with room for 250 cars; the accessible spaces are in the second lot across the way, so you cross a sloping road to reach the building.
- Ages 2-3On the screen in the Namahage Densho Hall, a film about the New Year's Eve custom in Oga, A Night of Namahage, plays every 30 minutes from 8:30 to 16:30. The masks along the wall are all different, so after the film a child can walk the room hunting for the face they like.About half an hour covers the museum. A passage runs from the exit to Oga Shinzan Denshokan next door with no steps, though it does slope a little. The Denshokan is an old farmhouse with a step at the door and tatami inside, but a ramp at the back lets you come up and watch from the wooden-floored room.
- Ages 4-6Three or four days a week, on no fixed schedule, Chiaki Ishikawa, the only Namahage mask carver in the world, carves a mask by hand in front of visitors. The special exhibition corner also shows masks used in folk events like Namahage elsewhere in Akita and abroad.Admission is 660 yen, 330 for elementary through high school students; a combined ticket with Oga Shinzan Denshokan next door is 1,100 yen, 660 for students. The Denshokan seats a fixed number per session, with 13 sessions between 9:00 and 16:30 from April through November and only 6 from December through March. Individual visitors need no reservation, but a call the day before on 0185-22-5050 holds your place. Pamphlets come in English, traditional and simplified Chinese, and Korean.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayThe display of more than 150 Namahage masks and the film "Namahage no Ichiya", screened every 30 minutes, are both seen inside the stone building built largely of Oga stone. The interior is flat throughout, and umbrellas are lent free of charge.
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed30 min
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
Family checks✓ easy for your family
- ElevatorElevator：none
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：none
- ChangingDiaper changing table：not checked
- Family WCFamily restroom：with conditionsconditions
- Own foodOutside food allowed：not checked
- EnglishEnglish support：with conditionsconditions
Tap a mark for details
* Other not checked (8)
Diaper disposal bin, Kids' toilet seat & step stool, Indoor / outdoor, Child switch (rider swap), Best-fit ages (guide), Crowding (guide), Quietness (guide), Lost-child support
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
Worth a look before you go
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Shoes off, you sit on the tatami by the hearth; the namahage stamps, then reads out the household's list of misdeeds.
Meeting the namahage at Oga Shinzan Denshokan: where the custom comes from and what they carry
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
13 shows a day April to November, 20 minutes each. In the tatami hearth room the namahage finds the child who hides.
The gods that pick on children: the namahage rite, Oga Peninsula
Japanese · opens translatedOfficial
A booked shared taxi links Oga Station with the Mayama area: the museum, the Denshokan and the shrine. Runs all year.
Oga Peninsula shared taxi: the Namahage Shuttle
Namahage Museum · Links & reads ▾
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Where it is
Mizukuisawa, Kitaura Shinzan, Oga, Akita, 010-0685, Japansource23
Before you go
- Times outside the published schedule can be arranged for groups of 15 or more that book at least two days ahead.source
- Oga Shinzan Denshokan limits how many people each session holds, so a session can be full.source
- Groups of 15 or more must reserve in advance.source
- The official website posts a month-by-month, session-by-session booking and crowding chart for Oga Shinzan Denshokan, with a note that it is only a rough guide.source
- During the busy stretch from August 1 to 16, 2026, extra sessions are scheduled on some days.source
Basics
- Fee：Namahage Museum ¥660, ¥330 for elementary, junior-high and high-school students; groups of 15 or more ¥590 and ¥260. A combined ticket with the Oga Shinzan Denshokan next door is ¥1,100 and ¥660, with group rates of ¥1,000/¥530 for 15 or more and ¥900/¥450 for 30 or more. Credit cards and electronic money are accepted for admission and in the shop. Showing an Akita Kosodate Fureai Card as a family gets 5% off in the shop, with some items excluded.source2
- Hours：The museum is open 8:30-17:00 all year with no closing days, and the film 'A Night of the Namahage' runs every 30 minutes from 8:30 to 16:30. The performance next door keeps its own timetable: from April to November there are 13 sittings a day at 9:00, 9:30, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 13:30, 14:00, 14:30, 15:00, 15:30, 16:00 and 16:30, and from December to March only six, at 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, 13:30, 14:30 and 15:30. Nothing runs between 11:30 and 13:30. On 31 December, 10:00, 11:00, 14:00 and 15:00 are added, and on 1-2 January, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 14:00 and 15:00.source2
- Time to allow：30 minsource
- Booking：Nothing to book for the museum itself. The performance next door at the Oga Shinzan Denshokan runs to a timetable and the hall has a fixed capacity, so it can be full: individuals do not need to book, but you can reserve by phone (0185-22-5050) up to the day before. Groups of 15 or more must book in advance, and with two days' notice a group of 15 or more can be given a slot outside the published times. The official site publishes a month-by-month chart of how full each slot is, marked as a guide rather than a guarantee.source2
Basics in detail (18)
Getting there
- Oga Shinzan Denshokan stands right next to the museum, and Shinzan Shrine is about a five-minute walk away.source
Hours and closures
- The Namahage Museum is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., every day of the year.source
- From April through November, Oga Shinzan Denshokan runs thirteen sessions a day: 9:00, 9:30, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, and 11:30 in the morning, then 1:30, 2:00, 2:30, 3:00, 3:30, 4:00, and 4:30 in the afternoon.source
- From December through March, Oga Shinzan Denshokan runs only six sessions a day: 9:30, 10:30, and 11:30 in the morning, then 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30 in the afternoon.source
- The 11:30 a.m. session is followed by the 1:30 p.m. one, so nothing is scheduled over the middle of the day.source
- On December 31, sessions at 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. are added to the usual schedule.source
- On January 1 and 2, sessions at 9:00, 10:00, and 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. are added to the usual schedule.source
Fees
- Admission to the Namahage Museum is 660 yen, or 330 yen for elementary, junior high, and high school students.source
- Groups of 15 or more pay 590 yen for the Namahage Museum, or 260 yen per student.source
- A combined ticket covering both the Namahage Museum and Oga Shinzan Denshokan costs 1,100 yen, or 660 yen for students.source
- On the combined ticket, groups of 15 or more pay 1,000 yen (530 yen per student), and groups of 30 or more pay 900 yen (450 yen per student).source
- Admission and the shop both take a range of credit cards and electronic money.source
Time to allow
- The suggested time is about 30 minutes for the Namahage Museum, and about 30 minutes again for Oga Shinzan Denshokan and for Shinzan Shrine.source
Other
- The Namahage Sedo Festival, a winter event that combines the Sedo Shinto rite with the folk custom of Namahage, is held on the second Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of February each year.source
- Parking is free, with room for 250 cars and 11 large buses.source
- The accessible parking spaces are in the second lot, across from the museum.source
Contact
- Individual visitors need no reservation; anyone who wants one can call 0185-22-5050 by the day before.
- The address is Mizukuizawa, Kitaura Shinzan, Oga City, 010-0685; the phone number is 0185-22-5050, and the site is run by Oga Chiiki Shinko Kosha.
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (8)
- akita-tourism.com: Stroller friendly, Nursing space, Family restroom
- Public agency: Official family-friendly certification
- Official: main site
More than 150 masks, each one actually worn in a village around Oga, fill the walls of the exhibition hall. The building is faced in stone quarried at Mount Kanpu, and took its present form in 2013. In the Hall of Mystery, dugout canoes and other tools set out the landscape that produced the Namahage. A film in the next hall shows Oga's New Year's Eve rite on a loop. The world's only Namahage mask carver works here on some days, cutting a face out of wood.
| Stroller friendly | Yes | Inside the museum the floors are all level. The entrance has steps and a 5-degree ramp beside them, and two automatic sliding doors 190cm and 187cm wide, usually left open in summer; the shop door is 120cm and its narrowest aisle 130cm. There is no stroller to borrow. The passage from the museum's exit to the Denshokan next door slopes slightly but has no steps - though the Denshokan itself is an old farmhouse with a step at the door and tatami inside, reached by a ramp at the back. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | akita-tourism.com |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diaper changing table | Not checked yet | ||||
| Nursing space | No | The prefectural tourism federation's accessibility survey marks the nursing room as absent, and no official page mentions one. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | akita-tourism.com |
| Family restroom | Yes (1) | One wheelchair-accessible toilet inside the 1st-floor exhibition hall: a manual sliding door 97cm wide, 205cm by 192cm inside, fixed U- and L-shaped handrails, an emergency call button, a small bin and a baby chair. The men's and women's toilets are in the same hall. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | akita-tourism.com |
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | No | No elevator, and the floors inside are all level. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | akita-tourism.com |
| English support | English menu & signs | Pamphlets in English, Traditional and Simplified Chinese and Korean. The official site runs in the same five languages. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | akita-tourism.com |
| Outside food allowed | Not checked yet | ||||
| Indoor / outdoor | Not checked yet | ||||
| Steps & slope caution | Barrier-free | Inside the museum the floors are all level, and the entrance has a 5-degree ramp beside its steps. Two things to watch outside it: getting from the accessible parking spaces in parking lot 2 to the building means crossing a sloping road, though the traffic is light; and the Denshokan next door is an old farmhouse, with a step at its entrance and tatami inside, reached by a ramp round the back that lets a wheelchair get to the wooden floor. Chairs are lent to older visitors whose knees give them trouble. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | akita-tourism.com |
| Child switch (rider swap) | Not checked yet | ||||
| Stroller access notesExtra info — guide only | Yes | Parking is free, with 250 spaces for cars and 11 for large buses. The accessible spaces are in parking lot 2, across the road from the museum, and the way over crosses a sloping street. Three self-propelled wheelchairs and umbrellas are lent free of charge. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | akita-tourism.com |
| Official family-friendly certificationExtra info — guide only | Yes | Registered with Akita Prefecture's Kosodate Fureai Card scheme: families showing the card get 5% off in the shop, some items excluded. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | common3.pref.akita.lg.jp |
| Best-fit ages (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Crowding (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Quietness (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Lost-child supportExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet |
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