Yokkaichi’s traditional festival of offerings, featuring Ōnyūdō and dashi
Yokkaichi Festival
The 2026 edition of Yokkaichi Festival has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/10/03 〜 2026/10/04Ended
- Season / frequency
- The Saturday before the first Sunday in October
- Location
- Suwa Shrine and its surrounding area
- Area
- Mie Prefecture・Yokkaichi City(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h 30 min–3 h · bullet train + connecting 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
- Highlights and activities
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
This annual festival in Yokkaichi features offerings of , dance lions, distinctive , and processions at Suwa Shrine. Nerimono handed down by each neighborhood bring traditional color to the city streets in autumn.
About Yokkaichi Festival
The Yokkaichi Festival is the annual festival of Suwa Shrine, located in the former Yokkaichi district of Yokkaichi City, Mie Prefecture.
Along with the mikoshi procession and dance-lion offering, dashi and processions—collectively known as “nerimono”—are presented before the deity.
As an event that preserves the form of an early-modern urban festival, it is closely connected to the local parishioner neighborhoods.
Source: 四日市祭 - Wikipedia
Festival highlights
Highlights include offerings in a variety of forms: Ōnyūdō with mechanical puppets, the whale-boat event, and the costumed Fuji hunting procession.
When Ōnyūdō stretches its neck, it reaches a height of 7.6 meters. The whale-boat performance depicts whaling with a boat-shaped dashi and a papier-mâché whale.
Dance lions and Yokkaichi Suwa are also performing arts offered at the festival.
Yokkaichi’s traditional festival of offerings, featuring Ōnyūdō and dashi
What to expect
On the first day of the festival, a mikoshi carrying the sacred body is paraded to an , then returned to the shrine on the evening of the second day.
After the religious rites, a dance-lion offering is performed, followed by the nerimono from each neighborhood processing into the grounds of Suwa Shrine.
In the past, after their offerings, the processions and dashi traveled south along the Tokaido Road, reaching the southern edge of the parishioner area.
Location and access
- Venue and address
Suwa Shrine and its surrounding area (Suwaeicho, Yokkaichi City).
The evening festival on Saturday the 3rd takes place on Koen-dori (from beside Kitaoka to Suwa Park).
- Train and bus
About a 5-minute walk east from Kintetsu-Yokkaichi Station.
- By car
It is about 15 minutes east of Yokkaichi IC on the Higashi-Meihan Expressway.
- Parking
There is no parking at the venue; paid parking is available nearby.
Source: 四日市祭(三重県)の詳細データ｜ウォーカープラス
Address Suwaeicho, Yokkaichi City
Dates and season
2026 event information (the listed dates have passed)
In 2026, it was listed as scheduled for October 3 (Sat.) and the 4th (Sun.).
On Saturday the 3rd, the evening festival runs from 16:00 to 20:00 on Koen-dori (from beside Kitaoka to Suwa Park); on Sunday the 4th, events run from 11:00 to 18:00.
Since times vary by event, please check the schedule for each event at the venue.
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 Mie Prefecture / Yokkaichi City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
In 2026, the festival will take place at Suwa Shrine and in the surrounding area. Koimatsuri will also be held on Koen-dori.
There is no dedicated parking near the festival area, and visitors are directed to use paid parking.
In areas where dashi and processions pass, please check local guidance and traffic conditions while viewing.
Nearby attractions
四日市市立博物館
三重県の博物館・美術館のスポットです。
澄懐堂美術館
三重県四日市市にある美術館
鳥出神社
三重県四日市市富田にある神社
Origins and History of Yokkaichi Festival
The origins and history of the Yokkaichi Festival are unclear, but a reference to it is said to date from 1679, and documents from 1724 mention the existence of large dashi and other features.
The festival dates changed between the Edo period and the Meiji era, and by the An'ei era, each parishioner neighborhood had its own nerimono.
The offerings were greatly affected by the 1945 Yokkaichi air raid and the major flood of 1974, but the festival resumed in 1997.
Official information
Official information is available on the Suwa Shrine official website.
According to the 2026 event information, the venue is Suwa Shrine and its surrounding area, and the dates are October 3 (Sat.) and the 4th (Sun.).
Yokkaichi Festival at a Glance
The Yokkaichi Festival is an autumn annual festival featuring offerings of mikoshi, dance lions, dashi, and processions, centered on Suwa Shrine.
It is known for traditional events that differ from neighborhood to neighborhood, including Ōnyūdō, whale-boat performances, and the Fuji hunting procession.
In 2026, it was listed as scheduled for October 3 (Sat.) and the 4th (Sun.) at Suwa Shrine and its surrounding area.
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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