Latest Events in Nikko(June Updated)

The "Ryuo Matsuri" is a grand event held in Kinugawa Onsen to welcome the summer season. This festival has been held annually since 1969 (Showa 44). During the Shinto ceremony at the Ryuo-kyo Goryūō Shrine, priests from Nikko Tōshōgū Shrine perform a thanksgiving ceremony for the onsen, praying for "safe journeys and local prosperity," accompanied by the powerful sound of the "Ryuo Taiko" drums. In Kinugawa Onsen, various portable shrines, including the "Mantou Shrine" (Mantou Shrine), are carried in processions. Adding to the festival's splendor is the appearance of the "Onnaru Shrine" (Women's Bucket-Style Portable Shrine), carried by women, which brings the festival to a climax with tremendous energy. From July 1st (Wednesday) to July 31st (Friday), participating accommodations will display portable shrines used during the main festival.

Nikko Toshogu Shrine hosts two grand festivals each year. Held in October, the festival includes the Shinto ritual of "Yabusa," where archery is shot from horseback at targets, and the "Wadogyo Festival," known as the "Hyakumono-no-Shoosenninmusha Parade," where participants recreate the procession from Kunozan, Sunpu, to Nikko for the reburial of Tokugawa Ieyasu. The "Hyakumono-Senninmusha Parade," in particular, features 1,200 participants parading around the mikoshi along the approach to the shrine, creating a sense of transport back to the Edo period.

The Kamakura Festival is a traditional winter event in Yunishikawa Onsen, held only during the winter months, and is definitely worth experiencing at least once. The 2026 Kamakura Festival will be held from January 30th to March 1st. The event can be enjoyed throughout Yunishikawa Onsen, centered around the tourist facility "Heike no Sato" and the mini snow huts on the Sawaguchi Riverbed, which were designated a "Japan Night View Heritage Site" in 2009 (Heisei 21).