text: Year-round, Nagato comes alive with local events, from cherry blossom viewing parties in the spring, to the fireworks of midsummer, and the traditional festivals of the fall. With new events including an annual mountain bike race, there are opportunities all year to enjoy Nagato's rich culture and natural splendor.
  Tawarayama Hot Spring Doll Tour
  In connection with Japan’s traditional Girls’ Day dolls, the ryokan inns of Tawarayama Onsen display their beautiful collections of handmade dolls each year.
  Spot informationCherry Blossoms
  Cherry blossoms (sakura) burst into bloom around Tainei-ji Temple, and a seasonal light-up of the blossoms is held at night.
  Isaribi (fishing-fire) and Terraced Rice Fields
  The spectacle of the setting sun and squid boat fishing fires reflecting off the ocean surface is a moving sight every year from May to June.
  Spot informationJune - August
  Firefly viewing (Yumoto Onsen, Tawarayama Onsen)
  Countless fireflies dance with their lights over countless clear streams.
  Nagato Senzaki Fireworks Festival
  3,000 fireworks will light up the summer skies over the bay, while festival-goers visit local food stalls and watch the traditional yosakoi dance parade. All of Nagato's Senzaki will be alight!
  Senzaki Gion Festival
  During this festival, floats and mikoshi (a small, portable shrine) are paraded through town to the accompaniment of classical music and traditional calls and chants. A small girl will give a dance performance from within a float. The Senzaki Gion Festival is a glimpse of Japan from another era.
  Spot informationKayoi Whale Festival
  The Tsu Whale Festival began in 1992, on the 300th anniversary of Nagato's construction of a grave dedicated to the whales. Watch performances of traditional whaling practices remembered now as a representation of the bonds between the local peoples and the sea.
  Spot informationKankan Festa in Senjojiki
  A three-hour endurance mountain biking race held at the height of summer. The course begins at the 333m summit of Senjojiki's beautiful grassland, and extends down along hillsides facing the sea. The race may be intense, but the ocean view is refreshing all the way!
  Spot informationMisuzu Star Festival (Tanabata)
  The Star Festival is celebrated in Nagato with a magical display of bamboo branches that twinkle with lights all along Misuzu Road. At the festival's end, participants, vendors, and performers alike join together to perform the traditional Misuzu dance and call-and-response song.
  Nagato Yumoto Onsen O-Bon Dance Festival
  For people in the Yumoto Onsen area, summer wouldn't be summer without this O-Bon dance festival. The festival includes a prize drawing, fireworks, floating lanterns, street performances, and of course the O-Bon dance itself, held around a great scaffold atop the Chiyo Bridge.
  Spot informationWestern Japan Yakitori (Grilled Chicken) Festival in Nagato
  Nagato is recognized as one of the seven yakitori (grilled chicken) capitals of Japan. At this delicious summer event, yakitori vendors gather from far and wide to grill up their tasty dishes.
  Mukatsuku Double Marathon
  Are you up for an intense course through some of Nagato’s most beautiful sights? Feel the joy of running with views including Motonosumi Shrine and the Yuya terraced rice fields!
  This festival has been held by Akasaki Shrine since 1596, and includes multiple outdoor dance performances at the natural amphitheater beside the shrine, which is nationally designated as an Important Tangible Cultural Folk Property. Traditional Yumoto Nanjo Dance and Gaku Dance performances are held annually on September 10th.
  Spot informationNagato Fish Festival
  The Nagato Fish Festival is held every year to help familiarize people with the wonderful variety of fish and sealife in the area. Live and freshly caught fish and shellfish are offered for sale in a large market, which also includes an auction and pools for catching fish by hand! Other activities will include the public display of the Senzaki Coast Guard's patrol ship, the Haginami, as well as an exhibition from the Yamaguchi Prefectural Fisheries Research Center.
  Yang Guifei Fire Festival
  Yang Guifei was known as one of the "Four Beauties" of 8th century China, and local legend in Nagato has it that she was not assassinated, as the official story goes, but escaped across the sea to Nagato, where she was then laid to rest. In recognition of this legend, and in support of friendship between China and Japan, the Yang Guifei Fire Festival is held each October. It is said that by writing out a wish and tossing it on the festival coals, it will rise in smoke to Yang Guifei's spirirt, and be granted.
  Nagato Blue Ocean Ride
  The Nagato Blue Ocean Ride is a cycling event that takes full advantage of the views of the cobalt blue seas and magnificent rice fields of Nagato, and its cuisine besides! This event is open to beginners and experienced cyclists alike, and includes a "train course" in which participants can carry their bikes with them onto a train for part of the ride.
  Each year, the autumn leaves come ablaze around Tainei-ji Temple between mid--November and early December. At night, the bright leaves are illuminated with a light display.
  Locally known as "the" romantic location, Nagato Yumoto Onsen puts on a Valentine's Day-themed fireworks show each February, featuring heart-shaped fireworks and lovely lights for strolls along the river banks.