6/10(Sun)

Shobu Matsuri(菖蒲祭り)

Togyo-an(東行庵)Tel.0832-84-0211

Celebrates the blossoming of 10,000 Hanashobu irises (about 100 varieties) planted around the Togyo Pond (東行池)

7/15(Sun)

Miminashi Hoichi Matsuri(耳なし芳一まつり)

Akamajingu(赤間神宮)Tel.0832-31-1323

In honor of Hoichi the Earless, the legendary blind minstrel renowned for his tear-jerking rendition of the Tale of the Heike played on his biwa (Japanese lute). Festival features Chikuzen biwa and outdoor theater performances.

7/21(Sat)

India Festival(インドフェスティバル)

Kaikyo Messe Shimonoseki(海峡メッセ下関)Tel.0832-31-5770(8 minute walk from Shimonoseki Station)

The India Festival, in celebration of Japan-India Friendship Year 2007, features traditional Indian music and dancing, cultural seminars, yoga, henna painting, Kabaddi, Indian food and goods, an India travel booth and more.

7/29&7/30(Sun, Mon)

Nagoshi-sai(夏越祭)

Kameyama Hachimangu(亀山八幡宮)Tel.0832-31-1323

Features kaya-no-wa kuguri (an activity in which people pass through a giant ring of weaved weeds) and fireworks

8/7〜8/13(Tue〜Mon)

Suhotei-sai(数方庭祭)

Iminomiya Shrine(忌宮神社)Tel.0832-45-1093

During this festival, dubbed the “most bizarre festival under the sun,” men holding 10 meter-long banners attached to bamboo poles circle around 鬼石 (onishi) to the sounds of gongs and taiko drums.

8/13(Mon)

Sekima Kaikyo Fireworks Display (関間海峡花火大会)

Along the Shimonoseki coast facing Moji (門司) in Kitakyushu across the Kanmon straits

Over 10,000 fireworks are launched over the Kanmon straits during this annual summer competition between Shimonoseki and Kitakyushu.

8/25&8/26(Sat, Sun)

Bakan Matsuri(馬関まつり)

Throughout the streets of Shimonoseki

Marking the end of summer, night stalls line up from Shimonoseki Station to Karato (唐戸), and about 5,000 people gather to take part in a Heike-odori dance, a parade, and a variety of other events.