Local Events

Hayama's beaches areopen from early July to the end of August. During this period, lifeguards are on duty and beach houses are open.

Isshiki Beach was selected as one of CNN's "World's 65 Best Beaches" and is also included in the Ministry of the Environment's "100 Best Swimming Beaches." Its location next to the Imperial Villa makes it quiet. Morito Beach is the widest in Hayama, has excellent beach houses, and in the evening, you can see Mt. Fuji over the red torii gate and Yujiro Lighthouse.

Outside of the season, there are no lifeguards at the beach. If you plan to swim, do so during the open season.

This is a Bon Odori dance held on the sandy beach. A yagura (scaffolding) is set up with the sunset over the sea and Mt. Fuji in the background.

One of the most picturesque nights of Hayama's summer. It's not as crowded as fireworks, making it a comfortable size for families with small children.

This is the festival of the guardian deity of the terraced rice field village. It enshrines the gods of bountiful harvests and food, and is a shrine you'll visit during the Wataya terraced rice field walk.

Completely different from the flashy festivals on the seaside, this is a quiet festival on the mountain side. Coming here, you'll realize that Hayama is not just a 'sea town'.

This is Shotaro Ishinomori's manga museum, located on an island in the Kitakami River. Original drawings of Kamen Rider and Cyborg 009 are permanently exhibited.

Special exhibitions change every few months, so the content will be different even on a second visit.Destination for rainy dayscan also be used as.

It's within walking distance from Ishinomaki accommodations. Character statues line the street outside the museum (Ishinomaki Manga Road), so the journey won't be boring.

As a prelude to the Sendai Tanabata Festival, approximately 16,000 fireworks are launched from the Hirose River riverbed.

Since the launch site is right next to the city center, you might unexpectedly see them while walking around town. It's a dense fireworks display, all launched within about an hour.

If you stay for the Tanabata Festival starting the next day, you can experience two different sides of Sendai on consecutive days.

One of Japan's three major Tanabata festivals and one of the three great festivals of Tohoku. Held annually for three days from August 6th to 8th, the dates do not change.

The highlight is the streamersfukinagashithat fill the shopping streets. Several-meter-long decorations made of washi paper and kusudama balls hang throughout the arcades. This is a festival where you walk with the flow of people, looking up, not a festival where you watch a stage.

You can enjoy it even if you don't understand the language, but it gets extremely crowded. It's hard to move around after evening, so the morning is the best time to go.

This festival gathers soba producers from all over Japan at Matsumoto Castle Park, where you can compare various types of handmade soba.

Not only Shinshu soba, but soba from various regions will be available. Since it's an outdoor event where you eat while viewing the castle, it is weather-dependent.

Groups from all over Japan perform taiko drumming with the national treasure castle tower as a backdrop.

For the evening stage, the illuminated Matsumoto Castle itself becomes the backdrop. This is an event that doesn't require language, so it's easy to recommend to international visitors.

Four summer days in Kagurazaka. The first two days are theHozuki Market, and the latter two days are theAwa Odori Festival.

For Awa Odori, the slope itself becomes the venue. Dancers come down the narrow street, so the distance is very close. Groups from Tokushima also participate.

The view differs between the top and bottom of the slope. If your accommodation is halfway up the slope, you can go out before it gets crowded and return if you get tired.