Fireworks colouring the nights and rows of night stalls can be said as the Japanese summer traditions. During July and August, summer festivals take place around the country. In Shimane, like other areas in Japan,  many people get together to enjoy traditional Japanese-style dancing, singing, fireworks, and delicious festival foods. Some festivals are enjoyed mainly by locals,  so they are recommended for those who like to join the locals and feel the traditional Japan in the countryside.

   East Area         Central Area         West Area        Island Area   

 

   Summer Festival in Tamatsukuri Onsen    

Tamatsukuri Onsen Area is well known for its long history and highly qualified onsen water. During the summer, while lanterns illuminate the riverside, visitors can enjoy night stalls and various stage events every night. There are night kids stalls offering mini games that children will love to play! Stage events differ every day. Two shows are shown every night – first show, starting at 8:15 pm featuring local artists, differs every day and second show, starting at 9 pm, showcases traditional performances (Yasugibushi or Izumo Kagura)!! Please stay a night here, take a walk along the riverside and enjoy Japanese summer night festival!
Venue: Tamatsukuri Onsen Area [map] (Tamayu-cho, Matsue City)
Date: Every night 8:15 pm ~ from July 16th (Sat.) to August 31st (Wed.) 2016

 

    Nima-Goise Festival     

Venue: Around the Nima Sand Museum  [map]  (Nima-cho, Oda City)
Date :  5 pm~ July 16th (Sat.) 2016  *Fireworks are set off from 8:30 pm
Fireworks Display:  Approximately 2,000 fireworks are to be set off.

 

   Tsuwano Gion Festival, Sagimai Ritual    

 Sagimai Ritual in Tsuwano, a ritual that is designated as an Important Intangible Cultural Property, has 400 years of history. Wearing costumes that evoke herons, ritual dancers perform to music and drums at several spots around Tsuwano.
Venue: Yasaka Shrine and other spots around central Tsuwano [map] (Tsuwano Town, Kanoashi-Gun)
Date:  1 pm ~  July 20th (Wed.) & 27th (Wed.) 2016

 

   Hirose Gion Festival    

One of the three biggest festivals in Shimane, the Gion Matsuri takes place every year on July 21st. A Mikoshi (portable shrine) and Kanto (lantern pole with a lot of lanterns) parade through the town during the night.
Venue: Main Street in Hirose-chō  [map]   (Hirose-cho, Yasugi City)
Date: July 19th (Tue.) to 21st (Thu.) 2016
         *Fireworks are set off on 21st from 8 pm
Fireworks Display: Approximately 1,600 fireworks are to be set off at the Iinashi Riverside.

 

   Kisuki Summer Festival    

Boasting over two hundred years of history, the festival is host to street stalls that line the main street while Kagura (a traditional dance ritual) is performed. Visitors can enjoy about 2,000 fireworks from a distance of just 120m.
Venue: Hii-River riverbed [map]    (Kisuki-cho, Unnan City)
Date : July 20th (Wed.) 2016
          *Fireworks are set off from 8 pm
Fireworks Display: Approximately 2,000 fireworks are to be set off at the Hii-Riverside.

 

   Shirakata Tenmangu Summer Festival    

A lot of night stalls stand on the both sides of the main street that leads to Shirakata Tenmangu Shrine. Group of locals bring portable shrines called mikoshi through the main street accompanied by resounding drums and folk music with cheerful and powerful enthusiasm in the heated summer evening air. You can totally soak yourself up in and enjoy the mood of Japanese summer festival!
Venue: Shirakata Tenmangu Shrine [map]   (Matsue City)
Date: July 24th (Sun.) and 25th (Mon.) 2016

 

    Mitoya Tenmangu Shrine Summer Festival    

Venue: Mitoya River Bank  [map]    (Mitoya-cho, Unnan City)
Date : July 25th (Mon.) 2106  *Fireworks are set off from 8 pm
Fireworks Display: Approximately 2,000 fireworks are to be set off.

 

   Eena Matsuri Kawamoto Gonokawa River Fireworks Display    

Venue: Kawamoto Main Street  [map]    (Kawamoto Town, Ochi-Gun)
Date : July 30th (Sat.) 2016  *Fireworks are set off from 8 pm to 9 pm
Fireworks Display: Approximately 2,000 fireworks are to be set off.

 

   Matsue Suigo-sai Festival    

One of the biggest festivals in San-in, Matsue Suigo-sai Festival takes place for three days in Matsue this year. Incredible 10 thousand fireworks are to be set off above the Lake Shinji, which shows and reflects beautiful sparks of fireworks on the swinging surface. Matsue is known as the water city and The Lake Shinji represents it.
Venue: Lake Shinji, near the Matsue City Office [map] (Matsue City) 
Date:  6pm~ July 29th (Fri.)
           12:30pm~ July 30th (Sat.)   *Fireworks are set off from 8 pm on this day
Fireworks Display: Approximately 10,000 fireworks are to be set off. 
11am~ July 31st (Sun.)  2016
*Please notice that traffic is banned around the main area.

 

   ‘Koi Koi Koi’ Festival in Tsuwano    

This festival allows guests to experience fireworks and traditional drumming performances.
Venue: Roadside Station Nagomi-no-Sato  [map]　(Tsuwano Town, Kanoashi-Gun)
Date : 4 pm ~ July 30th (Sat.) 2016  *Fireworks are set off from 8 pm
Fireworks Display: Approximately 3,000 fireworks are to be set off.

 

    Kirara Taki Summer Festival     

This event takes place on the beautiful beach! So it is very recommended to come here while sun is up, have fun at the beach either swimming in the shining clear water or walking around with great ocean view. Also the sunset seen from the beach cannot be missed. At night enjoy fireworks and night events!

Venue: Kirara Beach at Kirara Taki Roadside Station  [map]  (Taki-cho, Izumo City)
Date : July 31st (Sun.) 2016  *Fireworks are set off from 8:30 pm

 

 

     Tenryo-san Festival      

Tenryo-san festival takes place in 3 days at 3 different venues. On August 4th, more than 5,000 beautiful fireworks are set off at Kute Port. On August 7th, you can enjoy many local folk performance such as Tenryo Dancing, Tenryo Drams and Iwami Kagura etc. around area where 5 minutes from JR Odashi Station. Lastly, on the 28th, people parade in traditional costumes along historic town of Omori, in the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine World Heritage Site!

Date : August 4th (Thu.)  2016　　*Fireworks are set off from 8pm
Venue: Kute Port (Oda City) [map]
Fireworks Display: Approximately 5,000~10,000 fireworks are to be set off.
*
Date : August 7th (Sun.) 2016
Venue: near JR Odashi Station (Oda City) [map]
*
Date : August 28th (Sun.) 2016
Venue: Omori-cho  (Oda City) [map]

 

   Lake Jinzai Fireworks Festival    

Venue: around Lake Jinzai & Kunibikisou [map]    (Koryo-cho, Izumo City)
Date :  August 6th (Sat.) 2016
          *Fireworks are set off from 8:30 pm
Fireworks Display: Approximately 2,500 fireworks are to be set off.

 

   Masuda Suigo-sai Festival    

Venue: Takatsu River Bank (Masuda City) [map]
Date :  6pm~  August 6th (Sat.) 2016  *Fireworks are set off from 8 pm
Fireworks Display: Approximately 3,500 fireworks are to be set off.

 

   Hamakko Summer Festival    

Venue: Hamada Port (Hamada City) [map]
Date : 4:30pm ~  August 6th (Sat.) 2016  *Fireworks are set off from 8:30 pm
Fireworks Display: Approximately 5,000 fireworks are to be set off.

   Yunotsu Onsen Summer Festival     

Fireworks are displayed over Japan Sea and you will enjoy the dynamic view of beautiful fireworks at close! Awe-taking Kagura performances, local food stalls are also something that you can really enjoy!

Date :  5pm ~ August 6th (Sat.) 2016
            *Fireworks are set off from 7:50 pm.
Venue:  Yunotsu Port (Oda City) [map]
Display of Fireworks: Approximately 1,000 fireworks are to be set off.

 

 

 

 

   Daito Tanabata (Star) Festival    

This traditional festival has more than 420 years of history. Beautifully decorated bamboos with wishing papers as well as unique amazing floats with lanterns are totally worth seeing!
Venue :  Daito Shopping Street & Akagawa-riverbank (Daito-cho, Unnan City) [map]
Date :     7:30pm ~ 11:20pm  August 6th (Sat.) 2016  *Fireworks are set off around 8:30 pm
Display of Fireworks: 2,000 of fireworks to be set off 

 

   Izumo Shinwa (Japanese Myth) Festival    

This festival take places in 2 days. Izumo Bon Odori folk dancing on 7th and breathtaking 8,000 fireworks display at the Hiikawa riverbank on 21st. Hiikawa river is the place of one of the Japanese myths, ‘Yamata-no-orochi’. Lots of night stalls show up too.     

Venue:   Kunibiki-chuou Street (Imaichicho, Izumo City) [map]
Date : 　August 7th (Sun.) 2016
*
Venue:   Kandachi River Bank Park (Otsu, Izumo City) [map]
Date :    August 21st (Sun.) 2016    *Fireworks are set off on 21st from 8 pm
Display of Fireworks: Approximately 8,000 fireworks are to be set off.
*Fireworks display will be postponed to 22nd (Mon.) if the weather is bad on 21st.

 

   Yasugi Tsuki-no-wa Festival    

Venue: Yasugi Port (Yasugi City) [map]
Date: August 14th (Sun.) ~ 17th (Wed.) 2016  *Fireworks are set off on 14th from 8 pm
Fireworks Display: Approximately 5,000 fireworks are to be set off.

 

   Tsuwano Nichihara Ayu Summer Festival    

Venue:  Takatsugawa River Fisheries Cooperative Nichihara Office  (Tsuwano Town, Kanoashi-Gun) [map]
Date:     6 pm ~ August 15th (Mon.) 2016   *Fireworks are set off from 8 pm
Display of Fireworks: Approximately 3,000 fireworks are to be set off.

 

    Gonokawa River Festival    

Venue:  Around JR Gotsu Station, Gonokawa River (Gotsu City) [map]
Date :  1:30pm ~   August 16th (Tue.) 2016
*Fireworks are set off from 8:10 pm
Display of Fireworks: Approximately 6,000 fireworks are to be set off.

 

 

    Kin Nya Monya Festival     

Venue:   Hishiura Port (Ama Town, Oki-Gun)  [map]
Date:     1:20pm ~ August 27th (Sat.) 2016  *Fireworks are set off from 7:30 pm
Display of Fireworks: Approximately 2,900 fireworks are to be set off.