Yukata Season Kicks Off, Sumiyoshi Festival July 27th-28th!

Summer is the time to wear yukata (浴衣 – summer kimono) in Japan, especially to summer festivals! Hiroshima City’s yukata season kicked off with Toukasan, one of the Three Great Festivals of Hiroshima, but continues with Sumiyoshisan–the second of the Three Great Festivals–scheduled for July 27th-28th!

Official Sumiyoshi Shrine Webpage (in Japanese): http://www.sumiyoshijinja.net/summer.php

Joy in Hiroshima Sumiyoshisan Article (from 2022): Hiroshima Sumiyoshisan: Summer Festivals Continue to Flourish – Joy in HIROSHIMA

Watch men row up and down the Ota river in their annual rituals, pray for safe travels while passing through a straw hoop, munch on classic Japanese festival fare, watch a kagura play, and marvel at the post-pandemic fireworks over the course of a Monday or Tuesday night. What’s more, for this year only, Sumiyoshi Shrine is the only shrine in all of Hiroshima Prefecture to sell officially licensed lucky charms for the 2026 World Cup! Show your love for Team Japan in a traditional yet unconventional way by strapping a blue soccer jersey charm to your bag (while supplies last).

Like the old NOW&NEW article explains, Sumiyoshi Shrine isn’t too far away from Peace Memorial Park. From the south end of the park (where the Peace Memorial Museum is located), head west until you reach the Ota River, but don’t cross over the river. Turn south (left if facing the Ota River) and continue walking for about 15 minutes while hugging the east bank of the Ota River; the Sumiyoshi Shrine and its festivalgoers will eventually pop into view.