Annual Events and Festivals in Shiga
Main Events Throughout the Year
Shiga is home to many traditional events deeply rooted in local life.
Discover a variety of events that offer unique and moving experiences in every season.
Recommended Events
Experience Shiga’s unique traditions and lively festivals, and discover the region’s rich history and charm.
The Three Major Festivals of Shiga
The Three Major Festivals of Shiga refers to the festivals held in Otsu, a city on Lake Biwa. There’s the Sanno Festival, with a history spanning over 1,000 years, the Otsu Festival, which has been celebrated since the Edo period, and the Senko Festival, which was established in modern times to honor ancient traditions.
Fireworks Festivals
Every summer, Shiga’s night skies sparkle with spectacular fireworks over Lake Biwa and beyond. The brilliant bursts reflect on the water’s surface, creating a breathtaking scene that draws visitors from all over. The Lake Biwa Great Fireworks Festival is a highlight of the season, featuring food stalls, festive music, and the warm hospitality of local communities.
Festivals Unique to Shiga
Shiga is home to distinctive festivals that vividly reflect its history and culture. Experience celebrations you can only find here, such as the Karuta Festival at Omi Jingu Shrine, rooted in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu poetry collection, the dramatic Katsube Fire Festival, where blazing flames light up the night sky, and the vibrant Omihachiman Sagicho Festival in spring.
List of Events
Omi Kenketo Festival / Ritual of Cutting Funazushi with a Long Knife
Shimoniikawa-jinja Shrine holds a regular spring festival in the form of the Omi Kenketo Festival, during which the Long Knife ritual takes place.
Kusatsu Sanyare Dance(Yakura / Shimogasa / Kataoka / Natsuka / Shina / Yoshida / Shinanaka)
An extension of the Furyu Dance that was popular in the Kinki region during the Muromachi Period, this dance is now mainly performed along the banks of Lake Biwa in Kusatsu City.
OMIHACHIMAN SAGICHO Festival Experience Tour
One of the most famous SAMURAI lord NOBUNAGA ODA.
Ashifuse-no-some
A horse racing ceremony held at a shrine with a long connection to horses.
Tsuchiyama Saio Princess Procession
In the Heian Period (794 – 1185), the Saio (Princess) travelled from Heian-kyo (modern Kyoto) to Ise in order to become a priestess at the shrine there.
Hikone Castle Cherry Blossom Festival
As spring blooms once again it is joined by the 1,200 cherry trees in the vicinity of Hikone Castle, marking the most beautiful time of year to visit the castle and its grounds.
Moriyama Spring and Fireflies
Moriyama City is an alluvial plain that was created by sand and soil carried by the Yasu River, and long ago the underground water that bubbled up from almost everywhere was effectively used in both agriculture and everyday life.
Hikone & Kita-Biwako Great Firework Festival
See the town along the banks of the lake illuminated by 6,000 fireworks.
Lantern Festival (Taga Taisha Shrine)
The Manto-sai, a Buddhist festival involving lanterns, is held on the three days from August 3 to August 5 each year at Taga Taisha Shrine.
Nagahama & Kita-Biwako Great Fireworks
More than 10,000 fireworks, focused in the always impressive star mines, beautifully illuminate both the summer sky and the stunning Lake Biwa.
Lake Biwa Great Fireworks Festival
Enjoy 10,000 fireworks launched into the air over Lake Biwa, a stunning display of light that plays out in harmony with jets of fountain water.
Aito Marguerite Station Sunflower Garden
Summer sees 20,000 and fall another 10,000 sunflowers blossom beautifully.
Aito Marguerite Station Sunflower Garden
Summer sees 20,000 and fall another 10,000 sunflowers blossom beautifully.
Shirahige-jinja Shrine Lake Torii Gate Illuminations
The large, vermilion‐lacquered Torii gate in the middle of Lake Biwa is like the symbol of Shirahige-jinja Shrine, and has been a draw for visitors for many years.
Meet to Hear the Sound of Insects in Genkyu-en
In the illuminated Genkyu-en, listen to the sound of insects and enjoy the gentle passage of time in a manner impossible in any city.
Hachiman Moat Festival
Lanterns placed around the town and along the Hachiman Moat bring out a sense refinement and emotion.
Aito Marguerite Station Cosmos Garden
Cosmos flower bloom profusely in fallow fields close to the Roadside Station “Higashi Omi City Aito Marguerite Station.
Ishiyama-dera Temple Fall Moon Festival
More than 2,000 lanterns create an illusory and ethereal world inside the temple grounds.
Katsube Fire Festival
The Fire Festival, with a history of nearly 800 years, is a dramatic winter ritual held in Moriyama City, Shiga Prefecture.
Enryakuji Temple Ceremony to Exorcise Evil & New Year’s Bells
The New Year’s Bells and Ceremony to Exorcise Evil are annual traditions for New Year’s Eve at Hieizan.
Okinahajimeshiki
The “Okinahajimeshiki” is a divine service performed at Taga Taisha Shine to greet the gods at the start of the year.
Omi Jingu Shrine Karuta Festival
With its connection to the opening poem of the famous collection known as the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, Omi Jingu Shrine plays host to the “Karuta Opening Ceremony,” based in the Japanese card game.
Nagahama Plum Tree Bonsai Exhibition
The Nagahama Plum Tree Bonsai Exhibition started in 1952, and has now become the number one plum tree bonsai exhibition in Japan in terms of both history and scale, as well as a much beloved annual springtime tradition in Kansai.
Snow Appreciation Ship Cruises
Our “Snow Appreciation Ships” set sail on Lake Biwa during the winter months.