| Date | Event | Location | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1st |
On the early morning of New Year’s Day, participants gather at Sumisaka Shrine. After worshipping, they hike up Mt. Torimiyama and watch the sunrise at the mountain top observatory. |
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| Late March toMid-April |
Cherry Blossom Festival Cherry blossom festivals are held in some cherry blossom spots during the blooming period.
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| Late April toEarly May |
Murou-ji is best known for its pale pink rhododendrons that bloom beautifully in the temple grounds. |
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| Early May |
Thousands of rhododendrons bloom around the Kompira Shrine and the forest behind. The festival is held during the Golden Week in early May. |
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| Early May |
Torimiyama Park looks amazing filled with vivid azaleas, which attracts many visitors. This festival is held annually to celebrate the beginning of the climbing season, and also to pray for the safety of hikers. |
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| Mid-June |
Traditional Noh performance is held at the stage located within the shrine. Durind the performances, ‘hotaru’ (fireflies) are released into the night sky, which is quite a sight. |
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| The 1st Sunday of August |
This is one of the biggest fireworks festivals in Nara Prefecture, with about 4200 fireworks launched. As the site is surrounded with mountains, the powerful sound of fireworks echos through the mountains. |
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| The 3rd Sunday of October |
This traditional festival has been passed down for more than 1000 years. It features a parade called ‘Owatari’ in which locals walk a long procession from Soja Mikumari Shrine to Udano Mikumari Shrine, carrying a portable shrine on which the goddess from Soja Mikumari Shrine is seated. The goddess can meet her husband god only once a year. The energetic parade of six Taikodai floats is held within the precincts of the shrine, which is quite a sight. |
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| November 2nd |
The historic townscape of Haibara, around the former Edo period inn ‘Aburaya’ as well as the buildings along the Ise-Honkaido Trail, is beautifully lit up with lanterns in the evening. |
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| November 17thin the old Chinese Calendar |
‘Kagiroi is a natural phenomenon that looks like a morning glow. It can appear on a cold sunny winter morning one hour before sunrise, only when the weather conditions are just right. A famous Manyoshu poet Kakinomoto-no-Hitomaro is believed to have written a poem about the Kagiroi. This event is held annually on November 17th in the Chinese Calendar. Participants gather around a bonfire and wait for the appearance of Kagiroi together. |
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| The Nearest Sunday to February 23rd |
As Mt. Nukai (also known as Yamato-Fuji) is one of the mountains across Japan that has a name ‘Fuji’, ‘Mt.Yamato-Fuji Climbing’ is held annually on the nearest Sunday to February 23rd which is celebrated as ‘Mt. Fuji Day’. This is an easy mountain to climb with a height of 822 m. |
Watching the First Sunrise of New Year on Mt. Torimiyama
Rhododendron Festival
Rhododendron Festival
Azalea Festival
Akino Hotaru Noh
Haibara Fireworks Festival
Utano Autumn Festival
Haibara Hagiakari
Kagiroi Viewing
Mt. Yamato-Fuji Climbing