Distant Festival Lights

Distant Festival Lights
Name
Kanji	遠い祭り火
Romaji	Tōi Matsuri Hi
Information
Air Date	November 22, 2016 (JP) June 19, 2024 (US)
Episode	59
Adapted From	Chapter 66 Chapter 67
Opening Song	Takarabako
Ending Song	Akane Sasu
Episode Guide
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List of Natsume Yuujinchou Episodes
Episode Gallery

Distant Festival Lights is the seventh episode of the fifth season and the fifty-ninth episode overall of the Natsume Yuujinchou anime series. It first aired on November 22, 2016.

Summary

Natsume and his friends go to a distant hot springs to help with the renovations. When he arrives, he meets an old friend of Tanumas, but he quickly gets caught up in local youkai trouble. Tanuma's old friend is actually a youkai, and she threatens terrible things if Natsume reveals her secret.

Plot

Kaname Tanuma invites Takashi Natsume, Atsushi Kitamoto and Satoru Nishimura to an inn run by an aunt of his, in another town, because they needed help in preparing for renovation, for three days. Once there, they learn of a festival that will be taking place over two days. They also meet Tanuma's aunt, and a kind old lady called Ito-san

Enthusiastic because they'll be allowed to visit the festival, the group decides to work even harder. On the first night, Natsume senses a youkai who sneaks into the inn. Madara goes after it.

The next day, the group finds out that the memories of the rest of the five guests, and the staff, have been altered so that they now remember six guests instead of five - one of whom is the youkai that sneaked in. Natsume decides to look carefully into this matter, assisted by Tanuma.

Later, while Natsume went to look for a first-aid kit, he hears some noise in the storeroom where he finds a youkai searching for a stolen mask. The youkai is revealed to be Ito-san, who discloses that she is actually the Guardian of the Festival, and that mask that was stolen is really important. The youkai that stole it snuck into the inn the previous night.

Natsume promises to help Ito-san and discloses some details to Tanuma (excluding the part about Ito being a youkai) who also promises to help.

Afterwards, while interviewing one of the guest whom he finds suspicious, Natsume comes across a child who is wearing the mask on the face. After chasing that girl, Natsume discovers that she is actually human. Just at that time, the mask-stealing youkai creeps up behind her and snatches the mask back, running away. Madara and Natsume chase her and she is finally banished by Ito-san.

However, in the process, Natsume falls sick and is unable to visit the festival. Due to this, the whole group stays back to aid Natsume, and they decide to visit the festival the next day.

Characters in Order of Appearance

• Takashi Natsume
• Madara
• Kaname Tanuma
• Ito
• Mask-Snatcher Youkai
• Atsushi Kitamoto
• Satoru Nishimura
• Satomi