Ehime Festivals | 5 Annual Cultural Events You Can’t Miss!

Nestled in the heart of Japan’s Shikoku Island, Ehime Prefecture is a region rich in tradition, natural beauty, and vibrant cultural heritage. Throughout the year, its cities and towns come alive with spectacular festivals that celebrate everything from historical legends and spiritual rituals to harvests and the changing of the seasons. For travelers seeking an authentic and unforgettable cultural experience, Ehime’s annual festivals offer a powerful window into the spirit of the region.

In this article, we’ll take you on a journey through five of Ehime’s most iconic festivals — events that highlight the resilience, creativity, and joyful community spirit of its people. You’ll discover the raw energy and power of the Niihama Taiko Festival, where massive, elaborately decorated drums are hoisted and paraded through the streets in a display of strength and tradition. The Saijo Festival offers a look into local gratitude and celebration of prosperity, with its ties to the autumn harvest and beautiful mikoshi processions. The Warei Taisai Uwajima Ushi-Oni Festival dazzles with fierce-looking bull-headed floats, parades, and spectacular fireworks.

The excitement continues with the Matsuyama Fall Festival, known for its thrilling shrine battles and centuries-old customs, while the Dogo Onsen and Doyo Yoichi Summer Festivals bring a lighter, more festive atmosphere with dancing, live music, food stalls, and summer magic in the air.

Whether you’re a cultural enthusiast or a curious traveler, these five annual events are ones you truly can’t miss.

1. Marvel at the strength showcased at the Niihama Taiko Festival

For three days every October (16th to 18th), Niihama Taiko Festival takes over the streets of Niihama, a city located in Eastern Ehime Prefecture. What started as a way for locals to celebrate a successful harvest has blossomed into a can’t-miss event that tourists from around the globe come to experience. Locals from the eight Niihama neighborhoods create a total of 54 floats (taiko-dai), which weigh up to three tons and include taiko drums and gorgeous gold embroidered decorations. The floats also are lit up at night. Look out for vendors selling handmade embroidered art designed to represent the year’s festival. These unique handicrafts make great souvenirs!

This autumn festival also includes several unforgettable demonstrations of strength. At multiple points during the three days, a group of 200 men will come together to lift the three-ton taiko-dai. The event is called “Kakikurabe,” and it is a display of strength that never fails to excite and delight onlookers. Pick up a bowl of fuguzaku to eat after watching the show. This Niihama specialty dish combines pufferfish, filefish liver and green onions in an irresistible ponzu sauce.

Consider staying in Niihama for a few days after the festival to visit some of the other top attractions in the city, like Tonaru Historical Museum, a popular museum that explores the history of the Besshi Copper Mine. Other top Niihama attractions include the Ehime General Science Museum, a science museum that’s great for family vacations, and the beautiful, serene Kuroshima Seashore Lookout Park.

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2. Help celebrate a prosperous harvest at the Saijo Festival

In Saijo City, locals have their own way of celebrating a successful harvest and giving thanks to the gods. The three-day Saijo Festival takes place every year in mid-October (typically sometime between October 12th and 17th) and has been around for more than 300 years. During the celebration, locals create 150 Danjiri wooden floats with lanterns, Mikoshi portable shrines, and taiko-dai drum wagons that are carried and pushed through the streets. Ceremonies and festivities take place at Isono Shrine, Kamo Shrine, Ishioka Shrine, and Iizumi Shrine.

Saijo City officials encourage all citizens to participate in the harvest celebrations of Saijo Festival, so tourists can expect most local businesses and restaurants to be closed for the duration of the event. However, there will be vendors selling snacks and souvenirs along the festival route. Travelers also can look forward to plenty of music and dancing, locals in traditional outfits, and much more.

The city’s four main shrines (Isono Shrine, Kamo Shrine, Ishioka Shrine, and Iizumi Shrine) also are great to visit at other points during the year. The buildings and torii gates (traditional Japanese gates) often feature intricate details that are best viewed up close. Each shrine also features unique landscaping and forestry. Take a walk through the beautifully manicured shrine grounds to worship or simply enjoy a calm experience after a busy day of sightseeing.

3. Watch parades & fireworks at the Warei Taisai Uwajima Ushi-Oni Festival

Uwajima may be just a small city in Ehime, but from July 22nd to 24th, it features a big event for entertainment seekers. Warei Taisai Uwajima Ushi-Oni Festival is a major summer festival that actually is the culmination of two annual festivals – the Warei Taisai and Ushi-Oni Festival. The combined events draw visitors from all over Ehime Prefecture and beyond.

• On the first day of the festival, visitors can look forward to the Uwajima Gaiya Carnival, an all-day event with plenty of food and souvenir stalls to explore and a dance show at night. Be sure to stake out a good spot near Uwajima Kisaiya Road for the best views of the carnival.
• The second day is all about fireworks, music and traditional Japanese folk dances called Uwajima Ondo. The day starts with a musical parade and ends with an incredible fireworks show at night. Claim a spot near Uwajima Bay for the best views of the fireworks display.
• The third and last day is when the main event, the Ushi-Oni Parade, takes place. The ushi-oni is a supernatural creature from Japanese folklore, typically depicted as an ox- or bull-shaped creature with a slightly monstrous face, a long neck, a body covered in red cloth and a sword-like tail. During the parade, a giant ushi-oni float is marched through the streets. As the float’s head shakes from side to side, it is thought to bring purification to the onlookers and to scare away demons from local homes and businesses. Smaller floats also are used to put on fake bullfights, and tourists can see real bullfighting at the Bull Sumo Arena The three-day festival is wrapped up with a “Hashirikomi” on Suka River. Hashirikomi is when the portable shrines used in the festival are returned to the main shrine grounds.

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4. See thrilling battles at the Matsuyama Fall Festival

The Matsuyama Fall Festival, sometimes called the Matsuyama Autumn Festival, takes place from October 5th to the 7th at several shrines throughout the city. The most famous events that occur during the festival are the mikoshi fights, also known as hachiawase. While visitors can catch mikoshi fights in several locations, the most famous clashes take place at Isaniwa Shrine and in front of Dogo Onsen Station. During mikoshi fights, groups of men will battle with portable shrines. The battles occur early in the morning on the third day of the festival, and crowds gather to cheer on teams as they push and jolt the mikoshi (portable shrines) into one another. At Isaniwa Shrine, the portable shrines are hauled up and down 135 stone steps, a feat that also is a crowd favorite.

5. Enjoy live music, dancing and more at the Dogo Onsen and Doyo Yoichi Summer Festivals

Travelers also may choose to visit the Dogo Onsen area in the summer when the Dogo Onsen Summer Festival is in full swing. This Matsuyama festival takes place annually in August and lasts for the whole month. On the first of August, a festival called Yugama Yakushisai is held. During the event participants are asked to pray for prosperity. Throughout the rest of the month, small events are held so that locals and tourists can mingle and celebrate the beautiful days of summer. Some activities to expect include live music performances (including taiko drum performances), dancing, art exhibitions, and other types of artistic entertainment.

There are also several other interesting events that occur in Matsuyama during the summer months, like fireworks displays during the first week of August at Mitsuhama Port. While in the city, those who love to shop should take a trip to the Okaido Shopping Arcade and Gintengai Shopping Arcade, two covered shopping streets with a wide selection of boutiques, cafes and other small shops. These streets are open daily for shoppers but really come to life from June to August when the Doyo Yoichi Summer Festival begins.

The Doyo Yoichi Summer Festival, or “Saturday Night Market,” offers travelers a great chance to pick up some Ehime souvenirs. Every Saturday from late June until the first week of August, vendors set up stalls at the Okaido and Gintengai shopping arcades, selling handcrafted items and discounted wares. There are also several food stalls available selling traditional Japanese food and drink as well as international cuisine. But shopping and eating are not the only activities available during this festival: there are booths set up with fun things to do for children, live music, and locals dressed in traditional Japanese clothing. The event starts at 1:00 p.m. and runs until around 9:00 p.m. every summer Saturday.

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