Miyagi Prefecture (Ishinomaki, Shiogama, Sendai, Matsushima) Events

This is the Manga Museum of Shotaro Ishinomori, built on a sandbar in the Kitakami River. Original drawings of Kamen Rider and Cyborg 009 are on permanent display.

Special exhibitions change every few months, so the content will be different even on a second visit.Also a destination for rainy days.Also a destination for rainy days.

It's within walking distance from Roopt Ishinomaki properties. Character statues line the street outside the museum (Ishinomaki Manga Road), so you won't get bored on the way.

This is an autumn evening festival where the 202 steps of the main approach to Shiogama Shrine and its precincts are illuminated with bamboo lanterns and LED candles. You can spend a relaxing time enveloped in moonlight, light, and sound, with gagaku music playing.

Even if you don't understand the language, you can enjoy the lights and sounds, so it's recommended for international visitors. Stalls and workshops will also be available in the Monzenmachi area before sunset (from 15:00). Please consider it as an evening destination from your Roopt Shiogama property.

This is Sendai's autumn music festival where you can easily enjoy classical music in the city. Performances are short, 45-60 minutes, and some allow admission from age 0, so you can drop by casually.

2026 marks the 20th anniversary, with 77 performances over three days. The venues are three facilities along the subway line, so you can immerse yourself in music day and night during your stay in Sendai. Please secure tickets early for popular performances.

This is a festival in Higashimatsushima city that brightens the eve of the Matsushima Air Base Air Show (the following day, October 4). What was long held as a "Summer Festival" in August has changed to an "Autumn Festival" in October from 2026 to avoid the intense heat.

This year's format allows you to enjoy it for two consecutive days, paired with the Air Show. In the city of Blue Impulse, you can savor the afterglow of the flight and local stalls and stages. The venue, time, and content will be finalized on Higashimatsushima City's official page as the event approaches, so please check once before visiting.

This is the day when the home base of Blue Impulse is opened to the public once a year. Admission is free and no application is required.

In addition to demonstration flights, equipment displays are also held. You can see the sky from outside the base, but you won't know the loudness of the sound directly underneath unless you go inside.

Note that in 2026, the event has moved from late August toearly October (as a measure against intense heat). On the previous day, October 3, the renamed "Higashimatsushima Autumn Festival" will be held. Flights are heavily dependent on weather, so please check the day's announcement before heading out.early October (as a measure against intense heat). On the previous day, October 3, the renamed "Higashimatsushima Autumn Festival" will be held. Flights are heavily dependent on weather, so please check the day's announcement before heading out.

For two days, dancers with naruko fill autumn Sendai. Venues are scattered throughout the city, so you'll find dancing somewhere as you walk around.

Watching is free, and there's no set time, so you can drop by while taking a stroll. No language is needed.

This is a night illumination event at Entsuin Temple in Matsushima, famous for the reflection of autumn leaves on the Shinji Pond. The entire garden is lit up, and the scenery where the water surface and autumn leaves overlap is a classic autumn sight in Matsushima.

The beauty is beyond words, so we highly recommend it to international visitors. It's a great evening destination from accommodations in Matsushima, or for those staying in Shiogama or Higashi-Matsushima. Please check the official website for illumination times before visiting.

This is an illumination of autumn leaves along a promenade of approximately 220m, following the unique rock formations of "Rairaikyo" in Akiu Onsen. The gorge's rock faces and colored trees reflect on the water, and there's a footbath at the end of the promenade.

A night destination for those extending their trip to Akiu Onsen, the inner parlor of Sendai. The event is usually held in November, but please check the official website closer to the date.

This is a winter tradition in Sendai. Hundreds of thousands of lights illuminate the zelkova trees along Jozenji-dori Avenue, turning the entire street into a tunnel of light throughout December.

Just walk, no admission fee or reservation required. It's cold, so wear a thick coat.

The period and illumination times vary each year. Please check the official website before you go.

This is an event where New Year's decorations are burned to pray for good health and ward off evil for the year. It is the largest of its kind in Miyagi Prefecture, attracting about 100,000 visitors.

The highlight isHadaka Mairi (Naked Pilgrimage)Pilgrims wrapped in loincloths walk towards the fire, exhaling white breaths. Nights in Sendai in January can drop below freezing.

Since it is a shrine with a National Treasure main hall, it is worth visiting even during the day.

A winter tradition in Matsushima, this is an oyster-filled festival. You can compare steamed, grilled, and fried oysters, enjoy free tastings, and even a warming footbath.

Since you can enjoy the bounty of the Sanriku sea on the spot, it's a prime target if you're staying in Matsushima in winter. The date is generally the first Sunday of February, but please check the Matsushima Tourist Association's announcement for the confirmed date closer to the event.

This is a festival where a 1-ton portable shrine is carried downthe 202 steps of the main approachof Shiogama Shrine. There are 16 bearers.

The sight of the portable shrine descending the stairs is the highlight, whether viewed from above or below. It is said to have begun in the Edo period as a prayer for fire prevention and is counted as one of the three Ujiko festivals (Hote Festival, Hana Festival, Minato Festival) of Shiogama Shrine.

It's within walking distance from accommodations on Shiogama Kaigan-dori.

During cherry blossom season, the portable shrine of Shiogama Shrine parades through the city. It's called "Hana Matsuri" (Flower Festival) because it coincides with the cherry blossoms.

The cherry blossoms within the grounds of Shiogama Shrine are a famous spot themselves, and the late-blooming Shiogama cherry blossoms are a national natural monument. Even if you don't make it for the festival, the shrine grounds are worth a walk during this season.

This is a festival in Sendai in early summer. The Eve Festival on Saturday featuresSuzume Odori (Sparrow Dance), and the Main Festival on Sunday features a historical procession of Date Masamune and a parade of floats.

The Suzume Odori is a dance where participants leap while holding fans. There are also times when anyone can join in the dance. Even just watching is lively enough.

This festival is associated with the "San Juan Bautista," the ship on which Date Masamune sent the Keicho Embassy to Europe. Held at the San Juan Museum and Park, which houses a replica ship, it features local fife and drum bands, marching bands, traditional performing arts such as Watari Shishifuryu, food and merchandise stalls, and commemorative photos on board the ship.

Admission to the museum is often free on the day of the festival, allowing you to experience history and the festival at the same time on the Ishinomaki coast. The dates will be announced on the official website closer to the event.

This is one of Japan's three great boat festivals. Two portable shrines from Shiogama Shrine and Shiwa Hiko Shrine board ceremonial boats and tour Matsushima Bay, accompanied by about 100 escort boats.

Fireworks for the eve festivalare launched from Shiogama Port. Since the fireworks open up over the sea, they are reflected on the water's surface.

The 2026 event concluded in July. The next one will be around Marine Day in 2027. Once the dates are announced, we will update them on theNearby Eventspage.

This is the largest festival in Ishinomaki. It began out of gratitude to the pioneers who opened the mouth of the Kitakami River and has continued for over 100 times.

During the day, there are parades and the Magobei-bune boat race in the city center, and at night, fireworks light up the Kitakami River. After the earthquake, it also became a festival dedicated to "repose of souls" and "reconstruction," making it a day of great significance to the local people.

The fireworks are reflected on the river, so they can be seen well even from the opposite bank. Traffic regulations will be in place around the venue, so accommodation within walking distance is a strong advantage.

As the eve festival for the Sendai Tanabata Festival, approximately 16,000 fireworks are launched from the Hirose Riverbed.

The launch site is right next to the city center, so you might unexpectedly see them even while walking through the streets. These are high-density fireworks, all launched within about an hour.

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

This is one of Japan's three great Tanabata festivals and is counted among the three great festivals of Tohoku. It is held annually for three days from August 6th to 8th, and the dates do not change.

The highlight is thefukinagashi (streamers)that fill the shopping streets. Several-meter-long decorations made of washi paper and kusudama (ornamental balls) hang throughout the arcades. It's a festival where you walk with the flow of people, looking up, not a festival where you watch stages.

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

This is an Obon event where lanterns are floated in Matsushima Bay to send off ancestors. Lights and fireworks overlap on the sea of one of Japan's three most scenic spots.

The 15th is the eve festival, with fair stalls, Bon Odori, and taiko drums. The 16th is the main day of the Daiseigakie, where lanterns are floated after sutra chanting. On both nights, memorial fireworks are launched for about 15 minutes.

These are not fireworks for tourism, but rather send-off fires. It is proper etiquette to watch them quietly.

This fireworks festival for memorial and reconstruction on the Naruse River has continued since the Taisho era. The highlight is the summer night scene where lanterns floating on the river surface overlap with about 1,000 fireworks.

One of the summer highlights of Higashimatsushima's accommodations. It is a fixed-date event held on August 16 during Obon. Details of the event will be announced on the official website of Higashimatsushima City closer to the date.