Japan's Ritual Year — Festival Finder

Nozawa Onsen Doso Matsuri

Nozawa Onsen, Nagano

One of Japan's three great fire festivals: two groups battle to ignite or protect a sacred shrine.

1月15日前後

Hige Nademai

Kumano Shrine, Mutsusawa, Chiba

Designated participants have their beards ritually caressed as sake is poured in blessing.

1月 · confirm locally

Oni Sube Gyoji

Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, Dazaifu, Fukuoka

Demons are ritually driven away by torch flame and smoke in a sacred purification ceremony.

1月7日

Nue Barai Matsuri

Izunokuni, Shizuoka

A supernatural threat is ritually vanquished in ceremony protecting community wellbeing.

1月28日 · confirm locally

Amamehagi

Wajima and Noto, Ishikawa

A visiting deity mask-performer metes sacred correction to idling or lazy children.

1月2日ほか · confirm locally

Groom-Tossing and Sumi-Nuri Passage Rite

Matsuyama Onsen, Tokamachi, Niigata

A playful threshold ritual in which newly married grooms are embraced by winter snow, celebrating their transition to family life.

毎年1月15日 · confirm locally

松之山温泉

Katsube Fire Festival

Katsube, Moriyama, Shiga

A massive serpent torch illuminates dancing celebrants in loincloth, channeling primordial fire energy for community renewal.

毎年1月第2土曜

勝部神社／JR琵琶湖線守山駅西口徒歩5〜7分

Hetomato Festival

Shimosaki-yamachō, Goto, Nagasaki

Women are lifted skyward by giant sacred sandals in celebration of feminine power and fertility blessing.

毎年1月第3日曜

白濬神社起点／福江港から車約15分

Suneka Masked Visitor Rite

Yoshihama, Sanriku-chō, Ōfunato, Iwate

An otherworldly masked visitor arrives during early-year celebrations, embodying liminal forces and blessing children through playful contact.

毎年1月15日

吉浜地区各戸を巡回（会場固定なし）

Nanokado Bare Pilgrimage

Yanazu, Fukushima

Male pilgrims climb a towering shrine structure in minimal clothing, enduring ascetic trial to invoke protective blessing.

毎年1月7日夜

福満虚空蔵菩薩圓蔵寺／会津若松駅から臨時バス

Kakunodate Fire-Swinging Festival

Kakunodate, Akita

Participants swing burning straw bundles around their bodies in an exuberant winter purification rite.

2月14日

Raiden no Daihannya

Edogawa, Tokyo

Cross-dressed men carry a 50kg sutra through a 10km run, honoring sacred texts in joyful dedication.

2月下旬 · confirm locally

Namahage Saitou Matsuri

Oga, Akita

Namahage masked spirits and sacred bonfires converge in a twilight ceremony blessing the community.

2月第2金土日

Toyohashi Oni Matsuri

Toyohashi, Aichi

Red and celestial demon figures battle and scatter blessing powder, honoring agricultural prosperity.

2月10-11日

Takiyamaji Oni Fire Festival

Takiyamaji Temple, Okazaki, Aichi

Torch-bearing demon performers dance in this fire ritual celebrating the sacred power of flame.

2月上旬

Kase Tori

Kaminoyama, Yamagata

Straw-clad participants endure cold water to invoke fire protection and blessing over crops.

2月11日

Sunakake Matsuri

Hirose Daisha Shrine, Kawai, Nara

Worshippers ritually scatter sand on one another to petition for a bountiful harvest.

2月11日

Rokugou Kamakura

Misato, Akita

Participants strike each other with long bamboo to divine the coming year's harvest.

2月15日

Katsuyama Sagyitcho Matsuri

Katsuyama, Fukui

Red-clothed performers drum floating platforms and set ritual fire as New Year purification.

2月最終土日

Onda Matsuri

Asukaza Shrine, Asuka, Nara

Performers enact sacred union symbolizing fertility and blessing the coming agricultural cycle.

2月第1日曜

Yāyā Festival

Owase, Mie

White-robed figures carrying lanterns converge in dynamic collision, creating luminous communion and shared spiritual energy.

毎年2月1日から5日間

尾鷲神社周辺／JR紀勢線尾鷲駅

Hina Nagashi

Wakayama, Wakayama

Doll-shaped figures are floated to sea, ritually transferring one's misfortunes to water spirits.

3月3日

Hadaka Oshiai Taisai

Minamiuonuma, Niigata

Bare-bodied men chant and press together in sacred contest, channeling communal spiritual energy.

3月3日

Dorouchi Matsuri

Aso Shrine, Asakura, Fukuoka

Mud thrown at the deputy priest accumulates as an omen of abundant harvests to come.

3月 · confirm locally

Jaranpon Funeral Rite

Kugana, Chichibu, Saitama

A living participant is placed in a coffin for ceremonial enactment, exploring threshold between life and spiritual transformation.

毎年3月15日に近い日曜 · confirm locally

諹訪神社／西武秩父駅→西武バス「久那」

Kurayami Matsuri

Fuchu, Tokyo

Eight sacred palanquins process through darkness, honoring the deity in a tradition of spiritual renewal.

4月30日〜5月6日(神輿渡御5月5日夜)

Dorome Matsuri

Akaoka, Kochi

Town celebration centered on drinking competitions from oversized sake cups, fostering community bonds.

4月最終日曜

Yasurai Matsuri

Imamiya Shrine, Kyoto

A flower-canopied procession pacifies pestilence spirits in an ancient purification ceremony.

4月第2日曜

Hirukawa Usui Hanatsuma Matsuri

Hirukawa, Nakatsugawa, Gifu

Flower-adorned processions with decorated horses and staffs petition for agricultural blessing.

4月 · confirm locally

Okegawa Festival

Kawabe, Gifu

Costumed figures scatter red rice from their heads while pilgrims enthusiastically gather the blessed grains for prosperity.

毎年4月1日 · confirm locally

縣神社

Kyōhan Ceremony

Rinnō-ji, Nikkō, Tochigi

Mountain ascetics encourage eager consumption of blessed rice bowls, invoking abundance and spiritual fortitude.

毎年4月2日 · confirm locally

日光山輪王寺

Mud Festival

Wakamiya Hachiman Shrine, Kōchi, Kōchi

Participants playfully apply sacred mud to one another, honoring earth's generative power and agricultural sustenance.

毎年4月上旬 · confirm locally

若宮八幡宮

Unagōji Festival

Ushikubo Hachiman Shrine, Toyokawa, Aichi

Participants sway and recline in collective motion, reenacting larval transformation as metaphor for renewal and rebirth.

毎年4月上旬 · confirm locally

牛久保八幡社

Sake-Taking Festival

Shinmei Shrine, Oyabe, Toyama

Male celebrants enthusiastically share sake in boisterous communion, invoking divine blessing through shared libation.

毎年4月下旬 · confirm locally

神明宮

Ōse Festival

Numazu, Shizuoka

Fishermen in theatrical costume dance aboard boats in joyful homage to sea spirits and maritime prosperity.

毎年4月4日 · confirm locally

大瀬神社（船上）

Tejikao Shrine Fire Festival

Tejikao Shrine, Gifu, Gifu

Bare-chested men embrace cascading sparks in sacred communion with fire, invoking divine purification and warrior spirit.

毎年4月(要確認) · confirm locally

手力雄神社

Kawawatari Jinkosai (River-Crossing Festival)

Tagawa, Fukuoka

Eleven giant floats charge into the river in a spirited water battle, honoring the deity's passage.

毎年5月第3土曜と翌日曜

風治八幡宮・彦山川（JR田川伊田駅から徒歩約2分※二次情報）。祭り期間は市内無料シャトルバスあり

Tsugawa Kitsune no Yomeiri Gyoretsu

Tsugawa, Aga, Niigata

A processional wedding of fox-masked figures honoring the sacred shape-shifter deity.

5月3日

Kuma Matsuri

Oguni, Yamagata

Mountain hunters honor their tradition and offer wild game as sacred sustenance to the kami.

5月4日 · confirm locally

Seihaku Festival

Nanao, Ishikawa

Towering decorative festival floats process through streets in Nanao's grandest celebration.

毎年5月3〜5日 · confirm locally

七尾市中心部／JR七尾駅

Sushi Kiri Matsuri

Shimokikawa Shrine, Moriyama, Shiga

Young priests skillfully portion preserved fish using only chopsticks and blade in ritual.

毎年5月上旬(要確認) · confirm locally

下新川神社

Drunken Laughter Rite

Atsuta Shrine, Nagoya, Aichi

Shinto priests engage in synchronized laughter in darkness, a liminal act believed to invite divine presence and renewal.

毎年5月4日 · confirm locally

熱田神宮

Mamada no Jagamata Dragon Procession

Oyama, Tochigi

A 15-meter serpent-headed deity is carried through the streets to bless fields and ensure plentiful harvests.

毎年5月5日 · confirm locally

間々田八幡宮周辺

Nabe-Kanmuri Festival

Chikuma Shrine, Maibara, Shiga

Young girls crowned with black ceramic cauldrons process through streets, embodying ancient fertility and household blessing traditions.

毎年5月3日 · confirm locally

筑摩神社

Tsuruoka Tenjin Festival

Tsuruoka, Yamagata

Masked spirits silently distribute sake in nocturnal revelry, embodying liminal beings who bridge the human and divine realms.

毎年5月25日 · confirm locally

鶴岡市中心部

Iba Sakazaroshi Descent

Iba, Higashiōmi, Shiga

A sacred palanquin dramatically slides down a mountain slope, releasing accumulated spiritual energy and blessings.

毎年5月4日 · confirm locally

繖峰三神社ほか

Kajiki Spider-Fighting Festival

Aira, Kagoshima

Golden spiders are matched in sumo-style competitions, a centuries-old tradition of insect contests.

6月第3日曜

Hebi mo Ka mo Matsuri

Namikaze, Tsurumi, Yokohama, Kanagawa

A towering straw serpent is carried into homes as ritual pest protection and blessing.

毎年6月第1日曜 · confirm locally

生麦地区

Nasu Namakiriotomaki Fire Festival

Nasu-Shiobara, Tochigi

Mountain ascetics traverse fire in ritual purification honoring Fudō Myōō, the immutable deity of transformation.

毎年6月下旬 · confirm locally

那須波切不動尊

Christ Festival

Shingo, Aomori

A syncretic observance around a sacred grave site featuring traditional folk song and dance honoring spiritual transcendence.

毎年6月第1日曜 · confirm locally

キリストの墓周辺

Hatshiyama Petanko Festival

Ashikaga, Tochigi

Temple seals are gently pressed onto children's foreheads, conferring protective blessing and lifelong wellness.

毎年6月1日 · confirm locally

浅間神社

Shōhō-ji Fire Festival

Genjosan Shōhō-ji, Aomori, Aomori

A priest undergoes ritual immersion in boiling water, embodying purification and transcendence through heat endurance.

毎年6月中旬 · confirm locally

照法寺

Ōyamazumi Shrine Rice-Planting Wrestling

Ōmishima, Imabari, Ehime

A single wrestler engages an invisible rice spirit in ceremonial sumo, ensuring divine blessing of the season's crops.

毎年6月中旬 · confirm locally

大山祇神社

Geinoh Yamashirogumi Kecak Festival

Shinjuku, Tokyo

100 voices perform Balinese kecak chanting amid high-rise towers, bridging cultures in urban Tokyo.

毎年7月下旬〜8月上旬の5日間（2026年=第48回は7/29〜8/2、初日は宵宮）

新宿三井ビルディング55HIROBA（東京都新宿区西新宿）

Yui Kitada Tenno-bune Nagashi (Straw Boat Ritual)

Shimizu, Shizuoka

Symbolic figures of calamity are placed on straw boats, set ablaze, and released to sea for purification.

毎年7月海の日前の土曜(市公式。文化遺産オンラインは第3土曜表記) · confirm locally

津島神社(北野天神宮境内・清水区由比北田)。JR由比駅から徒歩約20分。流しは由比川河口の浜

Noda Tsukumai (Frog-Masked Pole Acrobatics)

Noda, Chiba

Frog-masked performer executes acrobatics atop a 15-meter pole, invoking rain prayers for crops.

毎年7月中旬（須賀神社三ヶ町夏祭りの中日・会場は年番制）

津久舞会場＝キッコーマン駐車場(野田市野田350-1)・式典は下町須賀神社。東武野田市駅から徒歩約9分※二次情報

Gion Matsuri

Kyoto, Kyoto

Month-long celebration of 1,150 years of plague prevention through sacred processions and rituals.

毎年7月1日〜31日（山鉗巡行=7/17前祭・7/24後祭）

八坂神社と京都市中心部。地下鉄四条駅・阪急京都河原町駅ほか

Nachi no Ogi Matsuri (Nachi Fire Festival)

Nachi, Wakayama

Twelve massive torches exceeding 50kg each purify the sacred waterfall approach through ritual fire.

毎年7月14日（昼間）

熊野那智大社〜飛瀞神社（那智の大滝）。JR紀伊勝浦駅からバス

Uwajima Ushioni Matsuri

Uwajima, Ehime

Towering bull-demon floats parade through streets, embodying protective spirits of the festival tradition.

7月下旬

Genpei Higyuu Matsuri

Oyabe, Toyama

Ox-shaped fire effigies are processed as a spectacular commemoration of warrior heritage.

7月下旬

Notojima Koda Fire Festival

Mukoda, Notojima, Nanao, Ishikawa

Massive torches and lantern structures burn as sacred fire offering in island tradition.

毎年7月最終土曜 · confirm locally

崇徳神社ほか（能登島）

Osatsu Maki

Totsuka, Yokohama, Kanagawa

Elaborately dressed performers sing and distribute blessed papers in a joyful fertility prayer.

毎年7月14日 17:30頃〜 · confirm locally

八坂神社周辺

Frog-Leap Procession

Kinpusen-ji, Yoshino, Nara

Costumed frog deities are conveyed as sacred palanquins to the Zao Hall, celebrating amphibian vitality in spring renewal.

毎年7月7日 · confirm locally

金峯山寺蔵王堂

Tōjin Rite

Oga and Katagami, Akita

A mythological reenactment in which celebrants mounted on oxen embody Susanoo's earthly descent and purifying power.

毎年7月上旬 · confirm locally

東湖八坂神社ほか

Abare Festival

Uden, Noto, Ishikawa

Celebrants forcefully immerse sacred palanquins in river and flame, channeling transformative power through elemental contact.

毎年7月第1金土(要確認) · confirm locally

宇出津地区

Hirakata Gion Mud Procession

Hirakata, Ageo, Saitama

Mud-covered participants tumble a white wooden palanquin through streets, celebrating earth's fertility and collective vitality.

毎年7月海の日の前の日曜 · confirm locally

八枝神社／JR上尾駅からバス

Awashima-Konsei Maguwai Festival

Morioka, Iwate

Paired male and female sacred palanquins are ceremonially united, invoking cosmic conjunction and fertile abundance.

毎年7月下旬（第3土曜傾向） · confirm locally

盛岡城跡公園内特別祭儀場／JR盛岡駅から車10分

Mizudome Rain-Stopping Dance

Ōmori, Ōta, Tokyo

A straw-bound dragon deity is rolled and drenched with water, invoking divine suspension of rainfall for community protection.

毎年7月第2日曜 13:00-15:00 雨天決行

厳正寺／京急本線 大森町駅 徒歩8分（またはJR大森駅→京急バス「大森東中学校」徒歩5分）

Sakaki Dondon

Sakaki, Nagano

Community dance procession through the station district, celebrating the town's prosperity and togetherness.

毎年8月上旬（2026年は8月1日）

坂城駅前・横町、立町通り（しなの鉄道坂城駅すぐ）

Maruko Dodonko

Ueda, Nagano

Single-song dance competition where groups showcase their choreography and floats in rapid succession.

2026年8月1日（毎年要確認） · confirm locally

上丸子商店街

Matsukawa Furusato Festival

Matsukawa, Nagano

Village's largest festival featuring drum circles and community dances that unite residents and visitors.

毎年8月上旬（2026年は8月1日）

松川村イベントストリート周辺（松川中学校駐車場～すずの音ホール無料シャトルバス）

Iida Ringon Festival

Iida, Nagano

Apple town celebration where thousands dance together to 'ringon' chants, honoring the local harvest.

いいだ人形劇フェスタ期間中の土曜日（2026年は8月1日）

知久町1～3丁目、銀座通り、中央通り1～3丁目など飯田市中心市街地

Matsumoto Bonbon

Matsumoto, Nagano

Nearly 8,000 dancers move through the castle town in unison to a single shared melody.

毎年8月第1土曜日（2026年は8月1日）

松本市中心市街地（外堀大通り・大名町・本町・伊勢町など、JR松本駅から徒歩圏）

Komoro Dokansho

Komoro, Nagano

Castle-town wide community dance where 'dokansho' chants echo through streets as residents dance together.

毎年8月上旬（2026年は8月1日）

小諸市中心市街地・相生町商店街周辺（しなの鉄道・JR小海線小諸駅から徒歩圏）

Nagano Binzuru

Nagano, Nagano

Sacred main avenue fills with dance groups honoring Binzuru Buddha and uniting the community.

毎年8月第1土曜日（2026年は8月1日）

善光寺表参道、昭和通りほか（JR長野駅から徒歩圏）

Yamanouchi Dondon Summer Festival

Yamanouchi, Nagano

Hot spring town's night festival where residents' synchronized dancing binds the community in harmony.

2026年8月1日（毎年要確認） · confirm locally

湯田中ぼうさい広場（長野電鉄湯田中駅周辺）

Tsuganeji Yokan'non Ennichi

Tatashina, Nagano

One night of temple devotion credited with the spiritual benefits of 46,000 days of worship.

毎年8月1日

津金寺（車は権現山運動公園へ。8月1日は交通規制・境内駐車不可）

Omachi Yamabiko Festival

Omachi, Nagano

Central avenue hosts both traditional bon dance and samba side-by-side, celebrating cultural fusion.

毎年8月第1土曜日（2026年は8月1日）

大町市街地中央通り（九日町一木宮坂商店交差点南～仁科町交差点）

Aoki Village Summer Festival and Fireworks

Aoki, Nagano

Righteous-peasant drum tradition reverberates through the village, culminating in grand fireworks.

2026年8月1日（毎年要確認） · confirm locally

青木村内（会場・アクセスは主催者の最新案内で要確認）

Raiden Matsuri: Tomi Dosukoi SUNSUN

Tomi, Nagano

Sumo hero's birthplace hosts 2,000 dancers chanting 'dosukoi' in celebration of strength and community.

毎年8月上旬（2026年は8月1日）

田中商店街（しなの鉄道田中駅周辺）

Grand Yokkaichi Festival (Onyudo Giant Puppet)

Yokkaichi, Mie

9-meter mechanical giant with extending neck and protruding tongue paraded through streets in spectacle.

毎年8月第1土曜・日曜（要確認） · confirm locally

近鉄・JR四日市駅周辺市街地（徒歩約10分）※要確認

Yamaguchi Tanabata Lantern Festival

Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi

Thousands of red lanterns lit with live candles transform the festival into a glowing Obon memorial.

毎年8月6日・7日固定

山口市中心商店街・駅通り周辺※要確認

Gozan no Okuribi (Daimonji)

Kyoto, Kyoto

Five Kyoto mountainsides illuminate with giant characters on Obon night, guiding ancestral spirits home.

毎年8月16日 20:00点火（大文字→5分間隔で妙法・船形・左大文字・鳥居形）

如意ヶ嶽（大文字山）ほか五山。市内各所から鑑賞

Gohokai

Ryosan Temple, Misaki, Okayama

Spirit-possessed performers race through the shrine grounds in ecstatic divine possession.

8月14-15日

Hyakucho Odori Festival

Hyuga, Miyazaki

Performers in expressive masks dance together in a joyful summer celebration.

8月第1土日

Suhojtei Matsuri

Imomiya Shrine, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi

Massive decorated flags spanning dozens of meters are carried in procession honoring the kami.

8月7-13日

Yokkabui

Oura, Minamisatsuma, Kagoshima

Straw-cloaked water spirits enact a ritual drama educating children through benevolent mischief.

8月22日頃

Ishizaki Hoto Festival

Ishizaki, Nanao, Ishikawa

Giant lantern structures are shouldered through town in Noto's most luminous summer display.

毎年8月第1土曜頃 · confirm locally

石崎町地区

Tabanka Festival (Torch Festival)

Shimotsuma, Ibaraki

1,370-year tradition reenacting fire prevention using tatami and pot lids as celebrants embrace embers.

毎年9月第1土曜 19:00頃（2020年〜。以前は9/12・14の2回）

大宝八幡宮（茨城県下妻市大宝667）。関東鉄道常総線「大宝」駅徒歩3分

Hitotsumono (Daiho Hachimangu)

Shimotsuma, Ibaraki

Single-eyed straw figure released to river at night, connecting white-serpent folklore to purification.

毎年9月15日 19:00〜19:30（秋の大祭「大宝まち」の夜）

大宝八幡宮〜氏子区域〜糸繰川。関東鉄道常総線「大宝」駅徒歩3分

Hida Furukawa Kitsune-bi Matsuri

Hida, Gifu

Fox-masked bride procession with ritual fires celebrates fertility and the mystical fox spirit tradition.

9月第4土曜

Hyoge Matsuri

Takamatsu, Kagawa

Mud-covered performers guide the sacred portable shrine into a pond as a purification rite.

9月 · confirm locally

Omi Nakayama Imo Kurabe Matsuri

Nakayama, Higashiomi, Shiga

Taro root length competition divines the year's harvest fortune through natural measurement.

9月1日

Okumakabuto Festival

Nakajima, Nanao, Ishikawa

A 20-meter sacred frame carries Sarutahiko masks in a venerable Noto-region deity procession.

毎年9月20日 · confirm locally

久麻加夫都阿良加志比古神社（石川県七尾市中島町宮前）。御旅所は加茂原（約700m先）。最寄り：のと鉄道「能登中島」駅（駅からタクシーまたは徒歩）

Tabanka Festival

Shimomushashi, Shimotsuma, Ibaraki

White-clad torch-bearers pursue spectators in playful chaos, channeling fire energy through exuberant community interaction.

毎年9月第1土曜 · confirm locally

大宝八幡宮／関東鉄道常総線「大宝駅」徒歩3分

Ichijo Hyakki Yakko Gyoretsu

Daishogun Shopping Street, Kyoto

Masked performers embodying supernatural beings parade through the city in a modern folk tradition.

10月 · confirm locally

Warai Matsuri

Hidakagawa, Wakayama

White-faced performers shake bells and command laughter as a healing and joyful prayer.

10月 · confirm locally

Ryusei Matsuri

Kushinosato Shrine, Chichibu, Saitama

Hand-crafted rocket-like pyrotechnics light the night sky as a spectacular fire offering.

10月第2日曜

Kebesu Festival

Kekire, Kunisaki, Ōita

Masked deities and white-robed celebrants engage in torch-fire exchange, enacting primal negotiation between human and spirit realms.

毎年10月14日 · confirm locally

岩倉八幡社（檵来社）。最寄駅・バスは要確認

Asagami Ojigu Autumn Festival (Yamakita Bo-odori Stick Dance)

Kochi, Kochi

Costumed performers enact a drunken comedy while playfully striking sticks and sharing sake with visitors.

毎年11月18日固定 · confirm locally

浅上王子宮(香南市香我美町山北4071)。土佐くろしお鉄道かがみ駅から車約10分。駐車場＝山北イベント広場

Akashi Torch Festival

Sukagawa, Fukushima

Three-ton, ten-meter torch blazes in night sky, marking renewal and dispelling darkness.

11月第2土曜

Migoroji-don Matsuri

Iwakawa Hachiman Shrine, Soo, Kagoshima

A 4-meter wooden deity effigy processed through town as a manifestation of sacred presence.

11月3日

Teppou Matsuri

Izumo Ihambi Shrine, Moroyama, Saitama

Mounted performers fire muskets while riding horses in a spectacular pyrotechnic procession.

11月3日 · confirm locally

Betcha Matsuri

Onomichi, Hiroshima

Masked performers tap viewers with branches as an ancient rite ensuring health and protection.

11月1-3日

Donki Matsuri

Nishi, Aichi

Red and blue demon figures paint guests' faces with blessing pigments in a playful purification act.

12月 · confirm locally

Toshidon of Koshikijima

Koshikijima Islands, Satsumasendai, Kagoshima

A masked visiting deity appears to ritually admonish and educate children in proper conduct.

12月31日

Akutai Matsuri

Atagoyama, Kasama, Ibaraki

Participants ritually exchange spirited words as a communal prayer for good fortune.

12月第3日曜

Oji Kitsune Gyoretsu

Oji Inari Shrine, Kita, Tokyo

Fox-masked pilgrims process to the shrine honoring the shape-shifter spirit of abundance.

12月31日

Koga Lantern-Pole Fire Duel

Koga, Ibaraki

Competitors thrust twenty-meter bamboo poles bearing lanterns together, extinguishing flames in a spirited test of village rivalry.

毎年12月第1土曜

古河市中心市街地／JR宇都宮線古河駅西口徒歩1分

Boze Festival (Akuseki Island)

Akuseki Island, Kagoshima

On Obon's final night, masked ancestral spirits carrying red rods ceremonially engage with living community.

毎年旧暦7月16日（盆の最終日。2026年は8/28に該当・要公式確認） · confirm locally

悪石島小中学校校庭（鹿児島県十島村）。鹿児島港から「フェリーとしま2」のみ。島内にタクシー・レンタカーなし

Paantu

Miyakojima, Okinawa

Ancestral mud-covered visitor spirits playfully coat attendees in earth, symbolizing blessing and renewal.

旧暦9月頃(不定) · confirm locally

Ushio Kake Matsuri

Wagu, Shima, Mie

Pearl divers ritually splash sea water in a traditional prayer for safety and abundant yields.

旧暦6月1日 · confirm locally

Goryo-kai Furyuu

Tamawakasu Shrine, Okinoshima, Shimane

Sacred horses gallop through the shrine grounds in a spirited display of equine devotion.

毎年(時期要確認) · confirm locally

玉若酢命神社(離島)

Jamaki Snake Wrapping Rite

Oki Islands, Shimane

Straw serpents are purified and wound seven-and-a-half times around sacred trees to ensure agricultural abundance.

毎年(時期要確認) · confirm locally

隠岐(離島・船必要)

Onbashira Festival

Suwa region, Nagano

Massive ceremonial pillars are hauled from mountains and erected at shrines in a spectacular display of communal power and renewal.

7年目ごと(次回2028)

諏訪大社ほか

Shineri-Benzaiten and Tataki-Jizō Festival

Uonuma, Niigata

Couples perform a fertility blessing ritual upon sacred objects, invoking harvest abundance and conjugal renewal.

毎年（時期要確認） · confirm locally

要確認

Kōya Candle Jizō Festival

Koga, Ibaraki

Devotees affix candles to statues corresponding with afflicted body parts, transforming pain through sacred flame and compassion.

毎年（時期要確認） · confirm locally

高野地蔵尊

Boze Rite of Akuseki Island

Akuseki-jima, Toshima, Kagoshima

A masked deity adorned with palm fronds applies red earth to participants, invoking agricultural renewal and protection.

旧暦7月16日（盆最終日） · confirm locally

悪石島小中学校校庭。フェリーとしま2でのみ来島（便数少）