Festival season is arriving in Ise. On Saturday, July 18, the Ise Jingu Dedication National Fireworks Competition takes place — and from Saturday, July 25, the Kawabiki, the river-hauling of sacred timber toward the once-in-20-years Shikinen Sengu, begins. Here is a guide to two weeks when the town of Ise fills with festival spirit.

Saturday, July 18 — The 74th Ise Jingu Dedication National Fireworks Competition

Pyrotechnicians from across Japan dedicate their fireworks to Ise Jingu and compete in skill. Counted among Japan's three great competitive fireworks festivals alongside Omagari (Akita) and Tsuchiura (Ibaraki), the event features two categories — shell fireworks and starmines — with high-caliber displays by artisans active throughout the country.

・Date & time: Saturday, July 18, 2026, from 7:20 p.m. to around 9:00 p.m. (held rain or shine; postponed to September 5 in case of severe weather) ・Venue: the Miyagawa riverside in Ise City (upstream of Watarai Bridge) ・Access: extra trains will run on JR Central and Kintetsu lines that day. See Ise City's official website for details. ・Note: the organizers advise that bringing or flying drones and other small unmanned aircraft at the venue is prohibited. If a drone is spotted, the launches may be suspended or cancelled.

From Saturday, July 25 — the Kawabiki begins

With the echoes of the fireworks still in the air, the Kawabiki — part of the Okihiki, the timber-hauling rites held toward the 63rd Shikinen Sengu — begins on Saturday, July 25. On the Saturdays and Sundays through Sunday, August 2, people of the former shrine domains — the heart of the tradition — haul the sacred timber for the new shrine buildings up the Isuzu River to the Inner Shrine. Wading into the summer river and hauling the rope soaking wet, it is a stirring festival of the people that comes around once every 20 years.

Tokiwakai will also take part in the Kawabiki on its final day, Sunday, August 2, through the cooperation of the Furuichi hauling group. We are recruiting participants for the two days including the Tsuitachi-mairi (Hassaku-sangu) on Saturday, August 1 — please see our recruitment article for details.

Tokiwakai is a community based in Ise, dedicated to passing on Japanese traditional culture and nurturing the younger generation. Come and experience the Ise summer, when fireworks color the night sky and the kiyari work songs of the Kawabiki ring out over the Isuzu River.