What Is Miyajima Like Through the Year? Festivals, Fire Walking and Oysters
This guide lists the festivals and seasonal sights that the Miyajima Tourist Association and the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) describe in English. All pages were read on 2026-10-04. Some of the association's event pages are out of date, and we say so where it happens. Always check the current date of an event before you plan around it.
February: oysters and the Dragon Fire Cedar
The association's oyster festival page says that oysters, Miyajima's specialty, are served at low prices in front of the Miyajima pier on the second weekend of February. But the same page announces that the 42nd Miyajima Oyster Festival, originally scheduled for February 2026, was canceled because it became difficult to secure the required quantity of oysters. Nothing on the page says whether it will return, so check before you plan a February trip around it. On Mt. Misen, the association says the Ryu-to-no-sugi, the Dragon Fire Cedar, is the cedar where many lights or fire balls can be seen on early February evenings.
March and April: dolls and fire
The Hina Doll Festival lets visitors see private antique doll displays in historical residences and shops, at over 30 locations throughout Miyajima. The association's page lists the dates March 20 to April 3, 2020, so it is clearly an old page; treat it as showing the type of event, not this year's dates. The association says the fire walking ceremony at Daishoin Temple, a religious rite of the Shingon sect, takes place twice a year, on April 15 and November 15.
April and October: the Toka-sai court dance
The Toka-sai features bugaku, court dance accompanied by gagaku music, introduced to Miyajima from Kyoto by Taira-no-Kiyomori. The association says the performances start from about 17:00 on April 15 and about 17:00 on October 15. It adds that around 20 pieces are still handed down at Itsukushima Shrine from the latter part of the twelfth century, and that bugaku in this form no longer exists anywhere else in the world apart from Japan.
The Kangensai boat festival
The Kangensai is the largest annual festival at Itsukushima Shrine and takes place on the night of June 17 by the lunar calendar, so its date in the ordinary calendar changes every year. The association says boats carrying a portable shrine and musicians leave the shrine, pass through the gate, and visit other shrines while gagaku is played. It explains that the date was set to match the spring tide in June, avoiding the typhoon season, and the 17th because the moon is nearly full. The times are subject to change.
December 31: the Chinka-sai
The Chinka-sai, a fire prevention festival, takes place on the last day of the year in front of Itsukushima Shrine. Local people make pine torches in December, and on the evening of the 31st families gather near the great gate. A large torch carried by 30 to 40 men and smaller torches carried by children are lit, and the people chant "Taimatsu Yoi Yoi." Embers are taken home as a charm to prevent fire.
Autumn leaves
JNTO says Daishoin Temple has photogenic scenery in any season but that the autumn foliage is particularly spectacular, because the temple is surrounded by maple trees that turn red in the fall. The association describes Momijidani Park at the base of Mt. Misen as a Natural Monument. In 1945 a devastating typhoon hit Miyajima and the park was badly damaged, so erosion control work was done.
Weather figures
The association gives the average temperature on Miyajima as 15.1 degrees Celsius and the annual rainfall as 1648.8 mm. It does not give figures by month.
Other events on the association's list
The association's events page also lists the Momotesai, one of the Shinto ceremonies, performed at Omote Shrine, and the Kiyomori Festival, which takes its motif from the Itsukushima Shrine prayer parade of the Heike family. The Hina Doll Festival page adds a practical tip: pick up a free event map at Miyajima pier. We found no dates for these two events, so ask at the pier or check the association's calendar.
What we could not verify, and therefore left out
- This year's date for the Hina Doll Festival, the Kangensai and the Toka-sai in the ordinary calendar.
- Whether the Oyster Festival will be held again.
- Crowd levels on the busiest days.
Related guides
- How do you get to Miyajima and get around from Hiroshima?
- What is Miyajima? Itsukushima Shrine, the floating gate and Mt. Misen
Sources
All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.
- Events (Miyajima Tourist Association) — (fire walking)
- Miyajima Oyster Festival (Miyajima Tourist Association) — (cancellation)
- Miyajima Hina Doll Festival (Miyajima Tourist Association) — (dolls)
- Toka-sai (Miyajima Tourist Association) — (bugaku)
- Kangen-sai (Miyajima Tourist Association) — (boat festival)
- Chinka-sai (Miyajima Tourist Association) — (New Year's Eve)
- Mt. Misen (Miyajima Tourist Association) — (Dragon Fire Cedar)
- Momijidani Park (Miyajima Tourist Association) — (park)
- Itsukushima Shrine (Miyajima Tourist Association) — (climate)
- Miyajima (JNTO) — (autumn leaves)