Published October 20, 2026 at 8:22 PM JST
Each late August, dozens of towering torches blaze along a Fuji-Yoshida street at the foot of Mount Fuji, marking the end of the climbing season in a famous two-day shrine festival.
Quick answer: The Yoshida Fire Festival (Yoshida no Himatsuri) is a two-day festival in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, held at Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine and Suwa Shrine. It is usually held on August 26 and 27, when about 70 to 80 giant torches are lit along the shrine street and portable shrines are carried through town. Organizers announce the exact schedule each year, and the festival marks the close of the Mount Fuji climbing season.
A fire night at the foot of Mount Fuji
Fujiyoshida sits at the northern base of Mount Fuji, and for centuries it has been a gateway for pilgrims heading up the mountain. Every year at the end of August the town celebrates the Yoshida no Himatsuri, a festival in which the whole community gathers around fire. It is held jointly by Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine and its auxiliary shrine, Suwa Shrine.
The fire is the visual star, but the festival has two parts. On August 26 comes the Chinka-sai, the fire-calming festival, whose name expresses the wish to keep Mount Fuji peaceful. On August 27 follows the Susuki Matsuri, the pampas grass festival, which is the main festival day. Together they form a complete ceremony of prayer, parade and light.
The festival is recognized as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan. According to the Japanese encyclopedia, it was selected as a property requiring documentation in 2000 and received the Important designation on March 8, 2012. Japanese guides also commonly describe it as one of Japan's three notable unusual festivals.
It is a festival with a big following. The encyclopedia reports that about 190,000 people attended the August 26 ceremony in 2013, which gives a sense of the crowds that gather along the street each year.
Origins and the end of the climbing season
The festival is closely connected to Mount Fuji worship. Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine is dedicated to the deity of the mountain, and a Japanese travel guide explains that the shrine was founded to calm the mountain's volcanic activity. Popular explanations link the festival to the legend of the goddess Konohanasakuya-hime, said to have been born amid flames.
The encyclopedia notes that no written record of the festival's origin survives. It does say that records show the festival was originally the festival of Suwa Myojin, held in the old calendar's seventh month, and that its focus later shifted toward the Sengen Shrine. A family guide adds a local legend of a Suwa deity who, while fleeing pursuers, was startled by residents carrying torches and decided to stay in the area, and it says the tradition is said to go back over 400 years.
In 1914 the dates were fixed on the modern calendar as August 26 and 27. This timing coincides with the close of the Mount Fuji climbing season, so the festival is also known as a farewell to the mountain's summer, a time when many climbers and worshippers finish their ascents.
The old pilgrimage culture is still visible. A Japanese guide recalls the lodging houses called oshi that once lined the approach road and hosted Fuji pilgrims, with as many as 86 of them at the height of the Edo-period Fuji faith movement.
The great torches of Day One
The first evening is the spectacle everyone remembers. According to the encyclopedia, about 70 to 80 large torches, each roughly three meters tall, line about a kilometer of the town's main street. A family guide gives their diameter as about 90 centimeters. Smaller log-stack torches are also built in front of individual homes.
Earlier in the day, the main portable shrine leaves the shrine and travels to a resting place called the otabisho. A Japanese guide gives a typical timeline of the shrine leaving around 17:00, arriving about 18:30 and the large torches being lit around 18:40, though times vary by year.
When the torches are lit, the street glows orange and the air fills with sparks and smoke. Local people, led by officials, take part, and, according to a family guide, residents walk through the sparks to pray at the resting place. Mountain huts along the Yoshida climbing trail are also said to light torches in response, starting from the fifth station, which connects the town's fire to the mountain itself.
Two portable shrines are central. The Myojin mikoshi leads and is carried by shrine priests, while the Oyama mikoshi, shaped like Mount Fuji and weighing about one ton, follows. The encyclopedia says the Oyama shrine must never pass the Myojin shrine.
Susuki Matsuri, the main festival on Day Two
The second day is more serene. The portable shrines are carried through town, and children's mikoshi may join the procession. A family guide reports that many women, children and older people take part, which gives the day a gentle, community feel.
The name Susuki refers to susuki, or pampas grass. Parishioners carry pampas grass tamagushi, which are sacred offerings, and a Japanese guide says that in the evening they circle the sacred area known as Takamagahara by torchlight. These offerings are associated with prayers for safe childbirth and good health.
A typical timeline, according to a Japanese guide, includes a ceremony at the Kanatorii around 15:30, the pampas grass offering at 16:00, the Takamagahara ceremony at 19:00 and return processions in the evening. These times are approximate and can change.
The festival goes ahead even in rain or typhoons according to the encyclopedia, so bring appropriate gear and check the latest information if the weather turns.
What the two days mean together
The two days are best understood as an eve and a main festival. According to the Japanese encyclopedia, the evening fire ceremony on August 26 serves as the eve festival, while August 27 is the main festival, when the portable shrines return to the shrine and participants carry pampas grass around the sacred grounds. Watching both days gives the fullest picture.
The encyclopedia also records that the Oyama portable shrine, shaped like the mountain, appears in the procession, a reminder that Fuji faith is woven through every part of the event. The festival reflects the mountain worship and pilgrim customs of the Fuji faith, according to a Japanese guide, which is why it is so closely tied to the climbing season.
For many local families the festival is a seasonal marker, the moment the summer of climbing and pilgrimage is gently put to rest. For visitors it is an easy way to meet the cultural side of Mount Fuji, beyond the views and the hiking trails.
How to enjoy the festival as a visitor
Plan ahead, because this is one of the busiest nights of the year in Fujiyoshida. Large road closures apply, including parts of Route 139 and much of the central town, according to a Japanese guide, so trains are the recommended way to arrive. Extra trains typically run on the Fujikyuko Line on event days.
Station and walking times vary by source. One guide gives about 15 to 20 minutes on foot from Fuji-Yoshida Station, while another gives about 20 minutes from Tanokura Station, so check a map and the official information on the day. Temporary parking lots, including school grounds and the city hall, have been used in the past.
Practical tips from family guides include dressing for the weather, since late August evenings can turn cool or rainy, bringing rain gear and tissues, and noting that permanent restrooms are limited. Standing on the road side rather than near the torch side helps keep children away from sparks.
Watch from behind barriers, follow staff instructions, avoid wearing loose or flammable clothing near the fire, and be careful with cameras and umbrellas in tight crowds. The torches are tall and visible from a distance, so you can enjoy the glow without pressing close to the fire.
Fujiyoshida, pilgrim town and festival food
Fujiyoshida's streets are lined with pilgrim history, and the festival allows you to see the town in a festive light. A Japanese family guide places the torch lighting along the main street near a golden torii gate, and the guides describe the street as a lively place where visitors and residents share the evening.
Many festival evenings in Japan include food stalls, so it is worth eating before or after the main events, and local announcements are the best place to check what is available that year.
The area's connection to Mount Fuji makes it a rewarding stop for a longer trip. Because the festival coincides with the end of the climbing season, it offers a symbolic moment for anyone interested in the mountain's cultural side, whether or not they have climbed it.
If you want to learn more before you go, read the festival notes from the shrine and the local tourism association, and consider arriving early in the afternoon to see the preparations and the portable shrines before the evening crowds arrive.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Yoshida Fire Festival held?
It is held every year on August 26 and 27 in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture. The first day is the Chinka-sai with the torch lighting, and the second is the Susuki Matsuri. Organizers publish the detailed program annually, so check the official information before you travel.
Why is it called a fire festival and why does it end the climbing season?
The torches are part of a fire-calming ritual that prays for Mount Fuji to remain peaceful. The dates of August 26 and 27 were fixed in 1914 and coincide with the end of the Mount Fuji climbing season, so the festival also serves as a farewell to the mountain's summer season.
Is the festival cancelled in bad weather?
According to the Japanese encyclopedia, the festival goes ahead even in rain or typhoons. Individual events may be adjusted for safety, so bring rain gear and check the latest announcements from the organizers.
Further reading: the Japan Travel guide to the Yoshida Fire Festival, the Japanese festival overview from a family travel guide and the Japanese guide to the Yoshida Fire Festival schedule and history.
Keep exploring: Nozawa Onsen Dosojin Matsuri: A Mountain Village's Winter Fire Prayer; Kurama Fire Festival: A Torch-Lit Autumn Night in Kyoto's Hills; Nachi Fire Festival: Twelve Fan Shrines Come Home to the Falls; Hamamatsu Matsuri: Kites Over the Dunes, Lantern-Lit Floats by Night.