Shinmei Fireworks: About 20,000 Shells over Ichikawamisato, Yamanashi

The Shinmei Fireworks Festival, held in Ichikawamisato Town, Yamanashi Prefecture, is a major summer event staged on the riverbed of the Fuefuki River. Held every year on August 7 as part of the Ichikawamisato Town Furusato Summer Festival, it fills the night sky of Kai with about 20,000 shells. The date never moves, and for 2026 (Reiwa 8) it fell on Friday, August 7, with launches announced to begin around 19:15.

A Riverbed Stage Ringed by Mountains

The launch site is on the bank of the Fuefuki River just downstream of Sangun Bridge, exactly midway between Sangun Bridge and Fujikawa Ohashi Bridge. The viewing area opens out along the river, and the terrain, with mountains on either side, sends the sound echoing back. The roar when a nishakudama (a giant shell about 60 centimeters in diameter) opens is the kind of sound you take in with your body rather than your ears. Another feature of this festival is a program in which distinguished fireworks makers from all over Japan compete, including wide starmines synchronized with music.

A Fireworks Town Born from Papermaking

The fireworks of Ichikawamisato cannot be separated from the papermaking of this land. It is said that in the Heian period a papermaker who brought the craft from the capital settled here and produced a fine washi paper called hadayoshi-gami. Washi is an indispensable material for the outer casing of a firework shell, and the craft of paper led on to the craft of fireworks. The people enshrined that craftsman at Shinmei Shrine, which honors the god of paper, and launching fireworks on the anniversary of his death as a memorial is said to be the origin of the Shinmei fireworks; it is also handed down that by the Sengoku period they were counted among Japan's three great fireworks displays. In this town, which calls itself "the home of fireworks," it is because of this history that the date of August 7 never moves.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Date and time: August 7 every year. For 2026 (Reiwa 8) this was Friday, August 7, with launches announced to begin around 19:15. Check the official Ichikawamisato Town announcement for the 2027 details.
• Number of shells: about 20,000
• Venue: the bank of the Fuefuki River downstream of Sangun Bridge (the launch site is midway between Sangun Bridge and Fujikawa Ohashi Bridge)
• Viewing fee: the general viewing area on the riverbed is free. Paid viewing seats require a separate ticket
• Paid viewing seats: standard seats 5,000 yen per person, chair seats 6,000 yen per seat, spacious seats 8,000 yen per person and seats for visitors with disabilities 25,000 yen per seat, plus special seats such as the Pia Special Premium VIP seats (for 2) and the Pia Special Table seats (for 4). They are popular and are as a rule sold in advance by lottery, so the surest approach is to check when applications open before you plan your itinerary
• In rain: the event goes ahead in rain. In stormy weather it is postponed to August 8 or 9
• Access (train): about a 10 minute walk from Ichikawadaimon Station on the JR Minobu Line
• Access (car): about 10 km from Kofu-Minami IC on the Chuo Expressway, about 3 km from Masuho IC on the Chubu-Odan Expressway
• Traffic restrictions: in some areas restrictions begin at 14:30 and are expected to continue until around 22:00. If you are driving into the area around the venue, you need to arrive before the restrictions start
• Parking: the area around the venue becomes very crowded, so visitors are advised to reserve parking in advance through Nokisaki Parking
• Shuttle buses: services are planned on three routes, Rokugo, Mitama and Masuho. Buses toward the venue run from 16:00 to 19:15, and buses back toward each stop from 20:30 to 22:00. There is also a route from Aeon Mall Kofu Showa, which you can board by showing a paid viewing seat ticket; outbound departures are at 16:00, 16:30 and 17:00, and return buses run as needed from around 21:30, with a last bus scheduled for 22:30
• Food stalls: stalls are set up, and a list of the vendors is announced in advance on the official website
• Crowds on the way home: the display finishes at around 21:00 and the traffic restrictions are lifted around 22:00. Because people and cars all begin moving at once as soon as it ends, it is reassuring to note down the last shuttle bus times and the Minobu Line timetable in advance
• Enquiries: Ichikawamisato Town, tel. 055-272-1101 / Furusato Summer Festival Executive Committee (Industrial Promotion Division), tel. 055-240-4157

📚 Sources

The date and time, the number of shells, the venue, the policy in rain, the hours of the traffic restrictions, the access details and the shuttle bus times are based on the event overview on the "Shinmei Fireworks" page of the official Ichikawamisato Town website. The types and prices of the paid viewing seats and the shuttle bus times for the Aeon Mall Kofu Showa route were checked in the paid viewing seat guide on the same site. Ticket sales schedules and parking arrangements change from year to year, and the extent of the traffic restrictions may also be altered on the day, so please check official information before you set out.