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

This is the manga museum of Shotaro Ishinomori, located 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.It can also be used asa destination on a rainy day.

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

Approximately 16,000 fireworks are launched from the Hirose Riverbed as the eve festival of the Sendai Tanabata Festival.

The launch site is right next to the city center, so you can unexpectedly see them even while walking through the city. The fireworks are dense, 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.

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

The highlight is thefukinagashithat fill the shopping streets. Several-meter-long decorations made of Japanese paper and kusudama balls hang throughout the arcades. It's a festival where you walk along with the crowd, looking up, not a festival where you watch stages.

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

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

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

These are not fireworks for tourism, but rather as farewell fires. It is customary to watch them quietly.

This is a music festival where the entire city becomes a stage. Performances begin simultaneously at dozens of locations throughout the city, from under the zelkova trees of Jozenji-dori to parks and building eaves.

Not only professionals perform. Student bands and adult bands also stand on the same street corners. No tickets are required. Just walk around and stop where you like the sound.

Although it's called a jazz festival, it actually mixes rock, gospel, and wind ensembles.

This is the day when the home base of the 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 extreme heat). The day before, October 3rd, the renamed "Higashimatsushima Autumn Festival" will be held. Flights are highly 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, and if you walk around, you'll find dancing everywhere.

Viewing is free, and there's no set time, so you can stop by during a stroll. No words are needed.

A winter tradition in Sendai. Hundreds of thousands of lights illuminate the zelkova trees along Jozenji-dori, 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 lighting hours vary each year. Please check the official website before visiting.

This event involves burning New Year's decorations to pray for good health throughout the year. It's 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's a shrine with a National Treasure main hall, it's worth visiting even during the day.

This festival involves carrying a 1-ton portable shrine down the202-step 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 started in the Edo period as a prayer for fire prevention and is counted as one of the three main festivals of Shiogama Shrine (Hotematsuri, Hanamatsuri, and Minato Matsuri).

It's within walking distance from the accommodation on Shiogama Kaigandori.

During cherry blossom season, the portable shrine of Shiogama Shrine parades through the city. It's called "Hanamatsuri" (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 an early summer festival in Sendai. The eve festival on Saturday features theSuzume Odori (Sparrow Dance), and the main festival on Sunday features a historical procession of Date Masamune and a parade of floats.

The Suzume Odori involves dancing with fans in a hopping manner. There are also times when you can join in the dancing. Even just watching is lively enough.

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

The eve festival fireworksare launched from Shiogama Port. Since the fireworks open over the sea, they are reflected on the water's surface.

The 2026 event concluded in July. The next will be around Marine Day in 2027. Once the dates are announced,we will update the information on the nearby eventspage.