- Spring
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- Winter
1Wakasa Takahama Hina Dolls Festival
2Yokotsumi Shibazakura
3Fure-ai Hiroba
1Takahama 7 Years Festival
Shichi-nen-Matsuri (7 Years Festival) of Sakichi Shrine is the biggest summer festival of the Wakasa region, and is held only once every 6 years. With over 450 years of history, It is designated as an intangible folk cultural asset by the prefecture.
For 7 days, the whole Takahama area comes alive, as three huge portable shrines and seven floats parade through the town, with an array of additional traditional performances. On the last day everyone gathers on Torihama Beach where the Festival reaches its climax with “ashi-arai”, an ancient ritual where the 3 portable shrines are carried into the ocean as a purifying rite to cleanse away evil spirits.
[venue] Takahama District
[Date] Late June
2Kite-minare! Uchiura
Kite-minare means “come on!” in the local Takahama dialect.
This family event is set in the beautiful scenery of the secluded Uchiura Bay, where the mountains meet the ocean. There are many activities for the whole family, such as boat cruises, swimming, fishing around the bay, food and beverage stalls, as well as lots of handicraft workshops where you can get involved and interact with the locals.
In the evening there is a fireworks display.
[venue] Hirose Auto Campground
[Date] August
3Takahama Fireworks Festival
[venue] Wakasa Wada Beach – Shiroyama Beach
[2023 Date] August 1st
The annual Wakasa Takahama Fireworks Festival is a summer tradition in Takahama.
The fireworks are launched from boats out at sea, so spectators can enjoy the spectacular show from the beach, and be dazzled by the beautiful reflections on the water.
The event draws big crowds, but with so many spots along the beaches to view the fireworks from, it doesn’t get overcrowded so visitors can really relax and enjoy the show.
The main venue.is Wakasa-Wada Beach
1Sakichi Shrine Annual Festival
This is the Takahama area’s annual autumn festival, and is held at Sakichi Shrine for two days. Children carry portable shrines (Mikoshi) throughout the town accompanied by chanting and taiko drums, before gathering at Sakichi Shrine, where a sacred dance ritual (Urayasu no mai) is performed as an offering to the shrine.
There is also an outdoor tea-ceremony. ピン！トホームページ（日本語）
[venue] Sakichi Shrine (Takahama area)
[Date] 12th &13th October
2Shingu Shrine Annual Festival
This is the Wada area’s annual autumn festival held at Shingu Shrine, where the whole area comes alive and gets into the festival spirit. There are many portable shrines (Mikoshi) and floats paraded through the town, all accompanied by beating drums and flutes, before gathering at Shingu Shrine. At the shrine, many traditional Japanese performances such as Urayasu-no-mai dances are dedicated as an offering to the shrine. For the climax, the mikoshi are all carried to Wakasa-Wada Beach for the Ashi-arai purification ceremony, where they are carried into the sea to drive away evil spirits. ピン！トホームページ（日本語）
[venue] Shingu Shrine (Wada area)
[Date] 14th October
3Seikai Shrine Annual Festival
This is the Seikyo area’s autumn Matsuri (festival) and is held every year at Seikai Shrine. Residents from each district form processions and parade around the town, pulling extravagant festival floats crafted in the shape of boats, and accompanied by traditional Japanese flutes and drums. After the processions, all the floats gather at Seikai Shrine, where a sacred dance ritual (Urayasu-no-mai) is performed as an offering to the shrine. At the end of the festival there’s an exhilarating taiko drumming performance, where all the districts simultaneously beat their drums in a bid to outdo each other. ピン！トホームページ（日本語）
[venue] Seikai Shrine (Seikyo area)
[Date] 17th October
4Wakasa Hamanasu Marathon
Hamanasu marathon offers a flat and comfortable course that is mainly along the beautiful coastline of Wakasa-Wada’s BLUE FLAG Beach.
Participants and spectators can enjoy the pleasant autumn breeze along the beach and the beautiful scenery of the sea and islands.
There are 1.5 km courses for lower elementary school students, 3 km courses for upper elementary school students and seniors, 5 km courses for middle school students and above, and 10 km courses.
[venue] Wada District
[Date] October
1Shiba no Mi-ire Ceremony
On February 11th of every year, this Shinto ritual is performed at Seikai Shrine in the Seikyo area to pray for a good harvest and a prosperous year for farmers and fishermen.
When the Shinto priest reads the Shinto ritual prayer of Shiba no Mi-ire, the shrine parishioners repeatedly strike the priest on the back with a ceremonial brushwood (Shiba) made of oak and sakaki leaves. It is said that the more leaves that fall to the ground, the more prosperous the year will be for agricultural and fishing industries.
The Shiba no Mi-ire ritual has been continued since the Edo period, and is now a designated Intangible folk cultural property of the prefecture.
[venue] SeikaiShrine (Seikyo area)
[Date] 11th february
2Otomi no Omato-iri Ceremony
This Shinto ritual is held every year on New Year’s Day at Kehi Shrine in the Uchiura area to pray for sound health and an abundant harvest.
The ceremony consists of different rituals, ending with the Omato-iri ritual, where the parishioners shoot arrows at a target. It is said that it is better not to hit the target with the arrow, and believed that hitting it could cause disaster to the area.
The event contains many traditional folklore elements and is designated as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of the prefecture.
[venue] Kehi Shrine (Uchiura area)
[Date] 1st January