The U Matsuri is a Shinto ritual held at Keta Taisha starting at 3 AM on December 16th. Cormorants are captured in Unoura, Nanao City, and carried to Keta Taisha by three cormorant hunters on foot. At the shrine, these cormorants are released, and as soon as they perch on the tray, they are captured and taken to the beach in front of the shrine, where they are released into the pitch-dark sky. The elders predict the coming year's harvest based on the movements of the cormorants while they perch on the tray in front of the shrine. The origin of the U Matsuri is extremely ancient, with a story that says Ōkuninushi-no-Mikoto, the deity of the festival, landed on Kadogashima in Noto no Kuni for creating the Noto Province, and the local deity Mikadonusihiko captured cormorants and presented them to the deity, which is said to be the origin of the festival. Cultural Property: Nationally Designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property