2026 Oshima Fire Festival: A Full-Day Course

The Oshima Fire Festival is held in the Oshima area of Tomioka City, Gunma Prefecture, a town known for its World Heritage site. In 2026, it takes place on Sunday, August 16, in the Oshima area, with the fires lit at 7:30 p.m. This course is a full-day plan centered on the event date, August 16. During the day, learn about the history that supported Japan's modernization at the World Heritage Tomioka Silk Mill, then enjoy powerful exhibits like dinosaur skeleton specimens at the Gunma Museum of Natural History. After taking in the solemn atmosphere of the forest at Nukisaki Shrine, the Ichinomiya of the former Kozuke Province, savor local flavors at the roadside station Michi-no-Eki Joshu Nanukaichi, then head to the Oshima area as the sun sets. The okuribi send-off fires, blazing as if scorching the night sky, are a quiet yet powerful sight unique to this traditional summer event passed down in a rural mountain village. That same night, the Tomioka Fireworks Festival (7:45-8:15 p.m., about 1,000 fireworks) is also held in the city. This course lets you experience two faces of the region in a single day: a World Heritage site and the flames of a rural mountain village.