Ito festivals & events calendar 2026–2027 — Shiritsumi Matsuri, winter fireworks, Mount Omuro yamayaki, the pillow fight championship and Anjin Matsuri

Ito, on the east coast of Shizuoka's Izu Peninsula, has a festival, fireworks show or market almost every month from November to August. This page lists only events whose dates were published by the Ito Tourist Association when we checked on 2026-09-12. Where 2027 dates are not yet announced we say so rather than guess.

Calendar (November 2026 – August 2027)

Nearby: about 40 minutes south on the Izukyu Line, Kawazu holds the Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival 2027 (usually early Feb to early Mar) — many visitors pair it with the yamayaki weekend.

Month by month

November — Shiritsumi Matsuri

Fixed on 10 November. One of Japan's stranger festivals, tied to the legend of Minamoto no Yoritomo's secret meetings at Otonashi Shrine: contestants stand in a washtub and bump bottoms to festival music. Free to watch; entering requires advance booking. 15 minutes on foot from JR Ito Station.

December — Winter Fireworks

Saturday 19 December 2026. A 30-minute show (20:30–21:00) over the seafront, on the same night as the winter yosakoi dance festival and ITO MARCHE stalls. The 2026 shell count is not yet published (about 1,500 in 2025). No parking.

January — Marathon and Mechakucha Market

Sunday 17 January: a flat 2 km / 5 km / 10 km fun-run along the shore with a family category. The following weekend, 23–24 January, the Mechakucha Market sells Izu seafood, dried fish and produce at bargain prices by the Matsukawa river, with free car parks and a ¥100 shuttle.

February — Mount Omuro Yamayaki

Planned for Sunday 14 February 2027. Ten signal fireworks at noon, then the whole 580 m grass volcano burns out in about 40 minutes. Rain, wet grass or wind pushes it a week; the decision is made on the morning, so check the chairlift's official site before you travel. Visitor torches are sold at the chairlift that morning.

February — All-Japan Pillow Fight Championship

The tourist association's event list gives Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 February 2027 at the Ito Municipal Gymnasium. The 15th edition's guidelines were still unpublished on 2026-09-13, and the association's detail page still shows the finished 14th edition (21–22 February 2026). It is the pillow fight of Japanese school trips turned into a codified sport: eight per team (one general, one libero, three attackers, three support), three 2-minute sets, yukata compulsory. Entry is in advance only. → rules and how to enter

July — Matsukawa Tub Race

A summer fixture since 1956: competitors sit in a washtub about a metre across and paddle 400 m down the Matsukawa from Ideyu Bridge to Fuji-no-Hiroba with a rice-scoop-shaped oar. The 2026 race was on Sunday 5 July; the 2027 date is not yet announced (as of 2026-09-13). → Matsukawa Tub Race 2027

August — Anjin Matsuri

Three days honouring William Adams (Miura Anjin), the English adviser to Tokugawa Ieyasu who built Japan's first Western-style ship in Ito: lantern floating on the Matsukawa, a taiko battle, then about 10,000 fireworks from five points offshore on 10 August, the city's founding day. The 2027 (81st) dates were not announced as of 2026-09-12. The 80th edition in 2026 fired about 20,000.

Getting to Ito

From Tokyo Station, the JR 'Odoriko' limited express runs direct to Ito, or take the Shinkansen to Atami and change to the JR Ito Line. The town-centre venues (Otonashi Shrine, Nagisa Park, Matsukawa Fuji-no-Hiroba, Orange Beach) are 10–15 minutes on foot from Ito Station and none has parking. Only Mount Omuro needs a bus or car from Izu-Kogen Station. For a car-free itinerary see Ito without a car.

How and when this was checked

Verified 2026-09-12 against the Ito Tourist Association event list and each event's official page, the Mount Omuro chairlift site and Ito City's marathon page. Dates can change; check the official page before you go.