A fire festival of prayer and flames, setting Notojima’s night sky ablaze
Mukaida Fire Festival
The 2026 edition of Mukaida Fire Festival has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/07/25Ended
- Season / frequency
- The last Saturday of July every year / Once a year
- Location
- Sakiyama Plaza
- Area
- Ishikawa Prefecture・Nanao City(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h 30 min–3 h · bullet train)Prefecture-level estimate to a main station or airport, not the venue. Airport access, check-in and onward travel are extra; remote areas and islands can take much longer.
- Features
- Wishes behind the festival
- Participation / viewing
- Open to public participation / spectators welcome
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
A fire festival in Mukaida, Notojima, Nanao City, where , hōtō lantern floats, and hand torches come together around a gigantic pillar torch. The direction in which the pillar of flame falls is used to divine whether the catch or harvest will be abundant.
About Mukaida Fire Festival
The Mukaida Fire Festival is a fire festival held at Iyahime Shrine in Mukaida, Notojima, Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, and is also a kiriko festival.
Mikoshi and hōtō lantern floats head to Sakiyama Plaza, where the festival unfolds around a roughly 30-meter-tall pillar torch.
It is designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Ishikawa Prefecture and is an event that carries on Noto’s local culture.
Source: 向田の火祭り - Wikipedia
Festival highlights
Highlights include the enormous pillar torch reaching into the night sky and the moment hand torches are thrown into it.
After mikoshi and hōtō lantern floats process around the great torch, hand torches circle while wrapped in flames, then are thrown in all at once at a signal.
The direction in which the blazing pillar torch falls is used to divine whether the catch or harvest will be abundant.
Source: 日本三大火祭「向田の火祭」 / 2026(令和8)年7月25日能登島向田の火祭～豊漁・豊作を占う～／七尾市
A fire festival of prayer and flames, setting Notojima’s night sky ablaze
What to expect
The festival begins at Iyahime Shrine, and the mikoshi and hōtō lantern floats head to Sakiyama Plaza.
At the plaza, mikoshi and hōtō lantern floats circle the great torch, while local residents and volunteers from outside the prefecture walk around waving hand torches.
When hand torches are thrown into the great torch at the sound of a flute signal, the flames flare up, and finally the pillar torch falls.
How to take part
It is described as a festival in which ordinary visitors can join in by carrying hand torches.
In 2026, volunteers from outside the prefecture joined local residents in walking around the great torch while waving hand torches.
This is a festival that includes opportunities to participate by handling hand torches, not just watch.
In 2026, local residents and volunteers from outside the prefecture walked around the great torch waving hand torches, then threw them in at the signal.
It is also described as an event where ordinary visitors can participate by carrying straw torches.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Sakiyama Plaza (Mukaida, Notojima, Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, 〒926-0211)
- Train and bus
Take a Notojima Kotsu bus from Wakura-Onsen Station on the JR Nanao Line and get off at the Mukaida Miyanomae bus stop.
It is a 10-minute walk to the venue.
- By car
About 35 minutes from Nanao-Jōyama I.C. and about 15 minutes from Wakura I.C.
- Parking
There is space for a total of 100 vehicles at Mukaida Fishing Port and the JA Noto Wakaba Notojima Branch.
Source: 能登島向田の火祭｜イベント｜能登ふるさと博 | 能登の観光情報サイト
Address 〒926-0211 Mukaida, Notojima, Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture
Dates and season
2026 event information (the listed event dates have passed)
In 2026, the festival was held on July 25 (Saturday), from 7:30 p.m. until around 11 p.m.
After the fire-festival rites, mikoshi and hōtō lantern floats head to Sakiyama Plaza, where the great torch is lit at night.
It is usually held on the last Saturday of July.
Accommodation and hotels PR
Showing nearby accommodation.
Prices and availability are current at the time of retrieval. For multi-night stays, only the first night’s price is shown. Confirm the final price and directions to the venue with the booking provider. Select your dates again when using the area search link. Search area: within 3 km of Central Ishikawa Prefecture / Nanao City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The great torch becomes an enormous pillar of fire about 30 meters high, and the flames flare dramatically when hand torches are thrown into it.
In 2026, the event ran at night from 7:30 p.m. until around 11 p.m., lasting several hours from the fire-festival rites until the great torch was lit.
Given the movement of the fire and the moments when spectators gather closely, please follow the venue staff’s instructions.
Nearby attractions
The Wakura Onsen Festival Hall in Wakura, Nanao City, is a facility that introduces the Mukaida Fire Festival.
This facility exhibits floats and other items from 4 of Nanao City’s major festivals, including the Mukaida Fire Festival.
Although it is a separate facility from the festival-day venue, it is presented as a place to learn about Nanao’s festival culture.
のとじま臨海公園水族館
石川県七尾市にある水族館
大地主神社
石川県七尾市にある神社
石川県七尾美術館
石川県七尾市にある美術館
石川県能登島ガラス美術館
石川県七尾市にある美術館
Origins and History of Mukaida Fire Festival
The Mukaida Fire Festival is a summer festival passed down in Mukaida, Notojima.
In the past, it was called the “Osuzumi Festival,” with the characters for “summer evening festival” used to write its name; in recent years, it has been called the “Mukaida Fire Festival.”
It was designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Ishikawa Prefecture in 1987, and in 2015 it was recognized as a Japan Heritage site as one of Noto’s kiriko festivals.
Official information
The official website provides the festival’s procession schedule, purpose, history, and transportation information.
The 2026 event announcement and parking information are also posted.
公式サイトは 日本三大火祭「向田の火祭」 です。
Mukaida Fire Festival at a Glance
The Mukaida Fire Festival is a traditional fire festival held every last Saturday of July in Mukaida, Notojima, Nanao City.
Mikoshi and hōtō lantern floats gather at Sakiyama Plaza. When hand torches are thrown into the enormous pillar torch, flames rise and light up the night sky.
It is a festival tied to local life, where the direction the pillar torch falls is used to divine whether the catch or harvest will be abundant.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/19
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