Shinto in Japan | Hey Japan!

Shinto is an indigenous religion of Japan and the country's oldest religion, originating from prehistoric times. It is characterized by its focus on ancestor worship, nature worship, and the veneration of spirits known as kami. Shinto shrines, which are dedicated to the worship of kami, are scattered throughout Japan and are typically marked by a torii gate and other distinctive architectural features. Shinto has no written scripture, no formal creed, and no defined system of morality. Instead, its teachings and practices are passed down orally and through tradition.

Festival

Okawachiyama Furin (Wind Bell Festival)

A pottery village celebration in mid-July features handcrafted wind bells and illuminated lanterns that create a summer atmosphere.

15 Jun – 31 Aug 2026Saga · Kyushu

Festival

Kiryu Yagibushi Festival

The Kiryu Yagibushi Festival is a lively summer event held each August in Kiryu City, centred on Yagibushi folk song and dance, with street parades, live music, and cultural programmes.

7–9 Aug 2026Gunma · Kanto

Festival

Shinto is an indigenous religion of Japan and the country's oldest religion, originating from prehistoric times. It is characterized by its focus on ancestor worship, nature worship, and the veneration of spirits known as kami. Shinto shrines, which are dedicated to the worship of kami, are scattered throughout Japan and are typically marked by a torii gate and other distinctive architectural features. Shinto has no written scripture, no formal creed, and no defined system of morality. Instead, its teachings and practices are passed down orally and through tradition.

Festival

Okawachiyama Furin (Wind Bell Festival)

A pottery village celebration in mid-July features handcrafted wind bells and illuminated lanterns that create a summer atmosphere.

15 Jun – 31 Aug 2026Saga · Kyushu

Festival

Kiryu Yagibushi Festival

The Kiryu Yagibushi Festival is a lively summer event held each August in Kiryu City, centred on Yagibushi folk song and dance, with street parades, live music, and cultural programmes.

7–9 Aug 2026Gunma · Kanto

Festival

Fussa Tanabata Festival

One of western Tokyo's biggest summer festivals, where Japan's Tanabata star festival meets American base-town culture in a street of dazzling decorations.

7–9 Aug 2026

Tokyo · Kanto

Festival

Tanabata Sky Lantern Festival 2026

Visitors release up to 3,500 LED sky lanterns carrying handwritten wishes into the night sky, accompanied by stage performances and festival activities.

7–16 Aug 2026Kyoto · Kansai

Festival

Suhoteisai Festival

A rare Yamaguchi ritual festival said to date back over 1,800 years, with seven nights of dances around the Oni-ishi stone, towering banners, and lantern-topped poles.

7–13 Aug 2026Yamaguchi · Chugoku

Festival

Jantokoi Uozu Festival

Uozu's biggest summer event, the Jantokoi Uozu Festival brings UNESCO-listed Tatemon floats, folk dance, seaside fireworks, and jazz.

7–9 Aug 2026Toyama · Chubu

Performing Art

Yamashiro Daidengaku Festival

The Yamashiro Daidengaku Festival revives the ancient dengaku dance form rooted in Shintoism, through performances by local talents and renowned actors in period costumes.

8–9 Aug 2026Ishikawa · Chubu

Festival

Yosakoi Festival

Every August, Kochi erupts into dance: thousands of performers surging through the streets with clacking naruko, in a carnival that reinvents itself year after year.

9–12 Aug 2026Kochi · Shikoku

Festival

Awa Odori Festival

Japan's most famous traditional dance festival, held annually in Tokushima City, where dancers form groups with distinctive choreography and costumes.

12–15 Aug 2026Tokushima · Shikoku

Festival

Yanai Goldfish Lantern Festival

A summer festival where 4,000 decorated goldfish lanterns cast a spellbinding glow over the town, alongside a spirited Goldfish Nebuta procession.

13 Aug 2026Yamaguchi · Chugoku

Festival

Shiraishi-odori Dance

A traditional Bon dance performed on Shiraishi Island honors historical battle casualties through a unique ensemble format where multiple dances synchronize to a lead.

13–16 Aug 2026Okayama · Chugoku

Festival

Fukagawa Matsuri

One of Tokyo's three greatest Shinto festivals, this mid-August celebration centers on water-splashing processions with portable shrines through the city.

15 Aug 2026Tokyo · Kanto

Festival

Aodake Chōchin Festival (Green Bamboo Lantern Festival)

A summer festival transforms a town with illuminated green bamboo lanterns, folk performances, and fireworks over Takahata.

16 Aug 2026Yamagata · Tohoku

Festival

Wajima Taisai Festivals

Ornate lacquered lanterns parade through Wajima's four districts, symbolizing the path for visiting deities, accompanied by taiko drums and portable shrine processions.

22–25 Aug 2026Ishikawa · Chubu

Festival

Okayama Momotaro Dance Festival

An Okayama City summer festival inspired by the Momotaro folk tale, featuring demon-costumed Uraja dancing, parades, and fireworks across the city in August.

22–23 Aug 2026Okayama · Chugoku

Festival

Shinjo Matsuri

A festival with over 260 years of history, where 20 ornate floats themed on historical tales, legends, and kabuki parade through the streets with traditional music.

24–26 Aug 2026Yamagata · Tohoku

Festival

Yoshida Fire Festival

The Yoshida Fire Festival marks the end of the Mount Fuji climbing season on 26–27 August, with some 80 giant torches set ablaze along the streets of Kamiyoshida.

26–27 Aug 2026Yamanashi · Chubu

Festival

Guzuyaki Matsuri

A festival centred on a giant papier-mache fish, or guzu, paraded through the streets, danced with, and finally burned at Fuhashi Shrine, rooted in local legend.

29–30 Aug 2026Ishikawa · Chubu

Shrine

Sada Shrine

Sada Shrine near Matsue: a rare sanctuary of three halls side by side, the gods gathering each November to remember Izanami, and the UNESCO-listed Sada Shinno dance.

Matsue · Shimane

Area & Points of Interest

Inasa-no-Hama

Izumo · Shimane

Shrine

Mankusen Shrine

Mankusen Shrine in Izumo is said to be the last stop for the gods of Japan before they return home.

Izumo · Shimane

Shrine

Kumano Taisha Shrine

One of three major Kumano shrines in Japan, Kumano Taisha was established in 806 and is known as the Ise Shrine of the North for its significance.

Nanyo · Yamagata

Shrine

Uto Shrine

Guardian shrine of Aomori dedicated to the Three Goddesses of Munakata, featuring grounds with a sacred spring and historic remains including haiku stones by Matsuo Basho.

Aomori

Shrine

Jozankei Shrine

A Shinto shrine in Sapporo's Jozankei hot spring resort area, dedicated to the god of hot springs and healing, surrounded by nature and autumn foliage.

Sapporo · Hokkaido

Shrine

Kumano Hongu Taisha

Kumano Hongu Taisha, heart of the Kumano Sanzan, traces its origins to before Emperor Jinmu – where legend says three moons descended to found the shrine.

Tanabe · Wakayama

Shrine

Kumano Hayatama Taisha

In Shingu, Wakayama, Kumano Hayatama Taisha stands as one of the three grand Kumano shrines – a "land of rebirth" where pilgrims have sought renewal for centuries.

Shingu · Wakayama

Shrine

Takataki Shrine

A shrine in Ichihara with an unusual tradition: expectant mothers borrow a small purse left unstitched at the base, for an easy birth.

Ichihara · Chiba

Shrine

Keihin Fushimi Inari Shrine

A small, charming Inari shrine in Kawasaki, guarded by 108 stone foxes and ringed with Fuji lava – a postwar branch of Kyoto's Fushimi Inari.

Kawasaki · Kanagawa

Shrine

Kumano Shrine (Kawagoe)

Founded in 1590 in Kawagoe, Kumano Shrine honours the Kumano deities and the yatagarasu crow, drawing visitors seeking fortune, love, and protection.

Kawagoe · Saitama

Shrine

Kumano Taisha

Kumano Taisha, Izumo's "birthplace of fire", holds sacred hikiriusu and hikirigine fire-drills, a startling rice-cake ritual, and Susanoo's comb festival for Princess Inada.

Matsue · Shimane

Shrine

Kumano Nachi Taisha

One of the three grand shrines of Kumano, beside Japan's tallest waterfall – and spiritual home of the Yatagarasu, the three-legged crow on Japan's football crest.

Wakayama

Shrine

Itsukushima Shrine

The floating shrine of Miyajima, built out over a tidal cove, with its great vermilion torii standing in the sea off the sacred island.

Hatsukaichi · Hiroshima

Shrine

Motonosumi Shrine

A clifftop shrine on the Nagato coast where 123 red torii run down to the Sea of Japan, with an offering box perched high on the entrance gate.

Nagato · Yamaguchi

Shrine

Inage Shrine

A thousand-year-old shrine in central Kawasaki dedicated to victory and harmony, and home to the Kawasaki Sanno Festival.

Kawasaki · Kanagawa

Shrine

Hakone Shrine

Hakone Shrine, Motohakone, Hakone, Kanagawa, was founded in 757 on the shores of Lake Ashi and is known for its Heiwa no Torii, a red torii gate standing in the lake.

Hakone · Kanagawa

Shrine

Takeda Shrine

This shrine honors Takeda Shingen, a Sengoku-period general remembered for both military prowess and regional development in the domain he ruled.

Kofu · Yamanashi

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