2026 Ishioka Matsuri (Hitachi-no-Kuni Sousha-gu Reitaisai): A Full One-Day Course

The Ishioka Matsuri (Hitachi-no-Kuni Sousha-gu Reitaisai) is centered on Hitachi-no-Kuni Sousha-gu (常陸國總社宮) and staged across Ishioka City's various neighborhoods. In 2026 it runs from 9:00 to 21:00 over three days, from Saturday, September 19 to Monday, September 21 (a national holiday). Counted as one of the three great festivals of the Kanto region, it is Ishioka City's signature traditional event, featuring horo-jishi (canopy lion floats) and numerous festival floats parading through the streets. This course puts the spotlight on the first day, September 19, as a full one-day plan. Since the festival itself starts at 9:00 in the morning, you first walk Ishioka's historic streets at sunrise, visiting the Hitachi Kokubunji Temple Ruins, Hitachi Fudoki no Oka, the Jinya-mon Gate, and the cluster of kanban-kenchiku (signboard architecture) along Fuchu-dori Street. Then, at 9:00, the festival proper finally begins around Hitachi-no-Kuni Sousha-gu, with the horo-jishi and floats parading through the streets until 21:00. From a quiet morning stroll through history to festival excitement lasting all day and into the night, it is a day to savor the whole of autumn in Ishioka.