Every February, the streets of Mihara City in Hiroshima come alive for the Mihara Shinmei-ichi Daruma Festival, an event that’s been drawing crowds for over 400 years.
What happens?
Over 500 street stalls line the streets, offering a smörgåsbord of festival food and daruma dolls in all shapes, sizes, and colors, from classic red to gold, yellow, and pink. Central to the festivities is the iconic Mihara-style daruma, adorned with its signature dotted headband, symbolizing luck and perseverance.
Visitors can pick up a daruma for their family shrine or start a yearly tradition of setting personal goals by painting in one eye when the goal is set, and the other once it’s achieved. The festival also features open-air karaoke competitions, haunted houses, a plant market, and the pièce de résistance (arguably): Japan’s largest daruma doll, which looks down on all the action.
Schedule 2025
The festival runs from February 7 to 9.
The Giant Daruma installation will take place on the Wednesday before the festival at 8:30 a.m. in Higashimachi.
During the festival, Mihara Daruma sales will run daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at JR Mihara Station’s Ujō Plaza and Takakage Plaza (sales end when stock runs out). Street stalls will be open daily during the festival from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The Mihara Daruma Parade is scheduled for Friday, February 7, 2025, from 2 to 3 p.m. The parade will start at Mihara Elementary School and end near the Giant Daruma. In case of rain, it will be held inside Mihara Station.
The Mihara Shin-Men Market (noodle market) will run daily during the festival from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. around JR Mihara Station.
How to get there
From Osaka, hop on the Sanyo Shinkansen at Shin-Osaka Station and arrive at Mihara Station in about 1.5 hours, or board the same Shinkansen from Kyoto. The festival takes place at Mihara Station’s Ujō Plaza and Takakage Plaza.
If you’re coming from Tokyo, take the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen directly to Mihara (about 4 hours), or transfer at Fukuyama Station. The journey is covered by the JR Pass.
Organizers may cancel events, alter schedules, or change admission requirements without notice. Always check official sites before heading to an event.