2025 Hydrangea Festival, Taihei Shrine, Mashiko Town, Tochigi Prefecture
From June 24 (Tuesday) to July 25 (Friday), colorful hydrangeas will be in full bloom with lanterns lighting up the path from Taihei Shrine, located in the Hydrangea Park, to the approach to Kashima Shrine, famous for its blessings for victory. On the last Saturday of June, a purification ceremony, a cogon grass ring ceremony, and a summer festival are held, and a musical performance is held. This is a town-wide early summer festival where traditional events can also be enjoyed.
| Holding period | Tuesday, June 24, 2025 – Friday, July 25, 2025 |
| Opening Hours | all day |
| admission fee | free |
| Location | Taihei Shrine 4699 Mashiko, Mashiko Town, Tochigi Prefecture * Held around the approach from Taihei Shrine to Kashima Shrine |
| Access | Train] Get off at Mashiko Station on Mooka Railway and walk about 10 minutes. Akihabara Station – Mashiko Station “Kanto Yakimono Liner” about 2 hours and 30 minutes. [Car] About 20 minutes from Sakuragawa Chikusei IC or 25 minutes from Moka IC on Kita Kanto Expressway. Parking available Parking lot of Kashima Shrine or free parking nearby (no parking at Chickenfoot Temple). |
Taihei-jinja Shrine, Mashiko-machi, Tochigi 2025 Hydrangea Festival Overview
The “Hydrangea Festival” held in Mashiko Town, the hometown of ceramics famous for Mashiko Pottery, is a festival where colorful hydrangeas bloom around Taihei Shrine, located on Hydrangea Mountain, and more than 400 lanterns are lit along the approach to Kashima Shrine.
On the 24th, the “Flower Offering Ceremony” is held to mark the start of the Hydrangea Festival, and four children representing spring, summer, fall, and winter offer hydrangea flowers.
Also, on the last Saturday of June, the “Grand Purification Ceremony, Kayano-wa Kuguri, and Natsukoshimatsuri” is held to purify people of their sins and impurities for six months and pray for good health and safety. The public is free to go through the thatch ring from around 6:30 p.m. after the ceremony until July 25.
From July 23 to 25, the “Mashiko Gion Festival,” a Shinto ritual of Yasaka Shrine, the last shrine on the grounds of Kashima Shrine, is also held, becoming a summer tradition in Mashiko Town and the most lively period of the year.
- The hydrangea flowers that decorate Mt. Hydrangea and Taihei Shrine are a summer tradition that signals the arrival of early summer.
- During the festival, more than 400 lanterns are lit from the approach to the temple to the Hydrangea Mountain, creating a fantastic atmosphere with hydrangeas and lanterns. (Lights up at night from 20:00 to 21:00)
- You can see traditional Japanese culture such as participating in the thatched-rope procession and competing musical performances.
- There is no parking at Taihei Shrine. Out of respect for the neighborhood, please use the parking lot of Kashima Shrine or free parking in the area, and come on foot.
*Please note that you cannot use the parking lot of the neighboring Chicken Foot Temple.
Kashima Shrine Reception Hours 8:30-16:30
Prayers and red seals are available from 9:00 to 16:00.
tel 0285-72-6221
Red seals for Taihei-jinja Shrine are available at Kashima Shrine
Please refer to our X account and Instagram for updates on hydrangea blooms.
For more information, please visit the official website