New Year Fire Festivals in Japan: 3 Famous Events in Early 2025

The tradition of hadakamairi is also famous. Men wear a white headband and a white cloth around their waist, holding a bell in their right hand and a lantern in their left hand. Then they place a paper (fukumigami) in their mouth to prevent them from talking amongst themselves, and make a procession towards the Goshinka fire.

With thousands of worshippers making a pilgrimage to visit the Goshinka fire, this is famous as a winter tradition in the city of Sendai.

Main Information for Matsutaki Matsuri
Date: January 14 (Tuesday), 2025 9:00 - 22:00
Location: Osaki Hachimangu Shrine
Official Homepage: Matsutaki Matsuri

Access:
Train: About 15 minutes on foot from Tōhokufukushidaimae Station (JR Senzan Line).
Bus: When using the bus from JR Sendai Station, take a Sendai City Bus leaving from Bus Stop 16 (at the station's West Exit Bus Pool). Travel time is about 30 minutes.
Also, traffic restrictions will be enforced from 16:00 on the day of the event, so we recommend using public transit rather than a car.

2. Nozawa Onsen Dosojin Fire Festival in Nagano

Photo by Pixta

The Dosojin Fire Festival is a Dondo-yaki event that has continued for many generations at Nozawa Onsen Village in Nagano Prefecture's Shimotakai District.

Dosojin are deities whose stone statues are commonly placed along roadsides and on the outskirts of villages and small towns. It's said that these gods prevent misfortune and bad luck from harming the locals residents.

The Dosojin Fire Festival is an event that has been held since at least the late Edo Period (1603-1868). Every year around January 15, the festival is held on a grand scale which includes the assembly of the main festival building called a shaden.

One of the main features of the festival is the offering of the large lanterns (hatsutoro). Offerings for these lanterns are made by families whose first son was born the previous year to pray for the child's safe and healthy growth. During the festival, these lanterns are set on fire when the burning shaden reaches its climax.

A festival highlight is the powerful offensive and defensive battle that gets played out. Participants are divided into two teams: torch-bearing men who try to set the shaden on fire versus those men who try to defend it. This battle lasts up to 90 minutes in length. Finally, the shaden tower is set ablaze and the festival eventually comes to a close.

Main Information for Dosojin Fire Festival
Date: January 15 (Wednesday), 2025 19:00 - 23:00
Location: Nozawa Onsen Village, Baba-no-hara

Access:
Car: About 25 minutes from the Toyota Iiyama Interchange (Joshinetsu Expressway) via National Route 117.
Bus: About one hour 15 minutes from Nagano Station. About 20 minutes from Togarinozawa-Onsen Station.
At the present time, no traffic restrictions have been announced. However, it's expected that nearby parking will be congested, so it's recommended that visitors use public transit.

3. Oniyo Fire Festival in Fukuoka

Photo by Pixta

The Oniyo Fire Festival is held at Daizenji Tamataregu Shrine in Daizenji Town (Miyamoto) in Kurume City.

It's one of Japan's Three Major Fire Festivals. During Fukuoka's main winter festival people parade around the shrine carrying six large blazing torches (daishomei).

Oniyo is normally held on January 7. The period from New Year's Eve until January 7 is called Onie. People pray for a bountiful harvest (gokokuhojo) while protecting the sacred Goshinka fire. When this period ends on January 7, Oniyo is held.

The main highlight is the sight of several hundred young men dressed in loincloths parading around while carrying torches. As the procession makes two trips from the shrine's approach to the main shrine building, firelight fills up the entire area.

Onlookers will be overwhelmed by the brave enthusiasm of the young men and the bursting flames of the six large torches lit during the festival's climax. The sight of young men in loincloths parading around and carrying large torches supported by poles (karimata), is truly impressive.

Main Information for Oniyo Fire Festival
Date: January 7 (Tuesday), 2025 13:00 - 23:30
Location: Daizenji Tamataregu
Official Homepage: Oniyo Fire Festival (Japanese)

Access:
Train: About five minutes on foot from Daizenji Station (Nishitetsu Tenjin Omuta Line).
Bus: About 30 minutes by Nishitetsu Bus from JR Kurume Station.
Taxi: About 10 minutes by taxi from JR Araki Station.
Car: About 40 minutes from the Kurume Interchange on the Kyushu Expressway.
At the present time, no traffic restrictions have been announced. However, it's expected that parking will be congested, so it's recommended that visitors use public transit.

Dondo-Yaki: Some Points To Keep in Mind

When participating in a Dondo-yaki event, please be sure to wear clothing that's easy to move about in and that's made of fire-resistant material capable of withstanding sparks and ashes. Though it's cold in winter, for safety reasons it's best to avoid clothing made from materials like cotton and rayon that have lots of lint and fluff which are flammable.

Also, it's not okay to simply burn anything and everything at Dondo-yaki. There are some items that cannot be burned, so please be sure to check beforehand.

It's acceptable to burn items such as New Year's decorations and old good luck charms. But the burning of plastic objects, kitchen garbage, and your pet's ashes is not allowed.

There can also be other rules that need to be followed depending on the region. So it's a good idea to check with the local area or shrine where the event is being held.