2026 Kiyotaki Otaimatsu (Grand Torch Festival): A Full-Day Course

This full-day course centers on the 'Kiyotaki Otaimatsu' (held August 15, 2026; the procession departs for the summit at 4:30 p.m. and the summit is lit at 7:00 p.m.), held on Mt. Kiyotaki in Maibara City. In Maibara, which flourished as a post town along the Nakasendo highway, walk through Seiganji Temple, known for its celebrated dry-landscape garden; the Shinjo Cherry Tree Avenue running along the Amano River; and Samegai-juku, where baikamo water plants sway along the banks of the Jizo River, and enjoy interacting with rainbow trout at the Samegai Fish Farm. As night falls and a huge torch flame rises atop Mt. Kiyotaki, the traditional Obon event finally reaches its climax. Take your time as a family to look up at this fiery scene that signals the end of summer in the satoyama countryside of Omi.