Things heat up at the annual Yoshida Fire Festival close to Mount Fuji. It is one of the three “strangest” festivals in Japan and one of the ten biggest fire festivals.
What happens?
Just like the fireworks that mark the start of Mount Fuji’s climbing season, this event is meant to symbolize the closing of the season. Taking place on August 26–27 each year, the event features giant, flaming torches and mikoshi (portable shrine) parades.
Schedule
On the first day (August 26) in the afternoon, there will be a mikoshi parade from 5 p.m and at 6:30 p.m there will be a torch lighting ceremony at Kamiyoshida Community Center. At dusk, the road to the temple will be lit with 70 three-meter-tall torches in the shape of bamboo shoots.
On the second day (August 27), there will also be a mikoshi parade from 2:00 p.m. At 3:30 p.m there will be a Golden Torii Festival and at 6:00 p.m. a Okuraishi Festival. Finally, at 7:00 p.m a ceremony will happen at Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine.
How to get there
The festival mainly takes place around Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen Shrine. To get there, you can take a bus from Kawaguchiko Station (check how to get from Tokyo to Kawaguchiko). Or take a bus from Mt. Fuji Station (it’s a 25-minute walk if you’d like to stretch your legs).
