Wakakusa Yamayaki 2027 — Sat 23 Jan: fireworks 6:15 pm, hill lit 6:30 pm, where to watch

Wakakusa Yamayaki 2027 takes place on Saturday 23 January 2027 on Mt. Wakakusa in Nara Park. The grand fireworks start at 6:15 pm (more than 500 shells in about 15 minutes) and the whole grass hill is set alight at 6:30 pm. Watching from the park lawns such as Kasugano Park Area and Ukigumo Park Area is free; prices for individual paid-area tickets have not been announced yet — the organiser says details come in early November and sales start in mid-November (checked 2026-10-13).

This page covers only the 2027 edition: dates, times, where to watch, tickets and getting there. For the history and what makes the burning special, see Nara Wakakusa Yamayaki — background and highlights.

2027 at a glance: confirmed vs not yet announced

The previous edition (24 January 2026) followed the same pattern: fireworks at 6:15 pm, ignition at 6:30 pm.

Timetable on the day (official guide times)

Times can shift with the weather. You can watch the procession, a group of about 40 people including Kasuga Taisha priests and monks of Kofuku-ji and Todai-ji, from the pavements along its route, but running after it or alongside it is prohibited.

Where to watch: free and paid areas

• Kasugano Park Area, Ukigumo Park Area and other Nara Park lawns (free). The classic view of the whole hill and the fireworks. They get very crowded, so arrive early. At Kasugano, professional taiko drummers give a dedication performance timed with the burning.
• Foothill Paid Viewing Area (paid, standing). The closest view of the flames and the moment of ignition. It is a natural slope of grass and soil with no seats. Check-in is at IRAKA from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm, and it is a 15–30 minute walk from check-in to the foothill. You cannot check in after 5:30 pm, and the organiser recommends checking in by 4:00 pm.
• Nara Park Bus Terminal Rooftop Area (paid). Less crowded, with elevators and other accessible facilities — this is the area the organiser recommends for wheelchair users. For families with small children, it suggests the free Kasugano Park Area rather than the steep foothill.
• Heijo Palace Site (free). A distant view of the fireworks and the burning hill framed by the Suzakumon Gate.

Paid areas accept paper tickets only — phone screens and e-tickets are not accepted, partly because mobile signal around the hill becomes very weak. Laying out picnic sheets or saving spots with bags is banned in every area. Free-standing tripods and stepladders are banned in the Foothill Paid Area, and drones are banned throughout the park.

Getting there and traffic restrictions

• From Kintetsu-Nara Station: about 20 minutes on foot east from Exit 2 to IRAKA (check-in). By bus, take Nara Kotsu's City Loop (Outer Route) to Todaiji Daibutsuden / Kasuga Taisha-mae and walk about 5 minutes, or take a bus bound for Kasuga Taisha Honden to Nara Kasugano Kokusai Forum Iraka-mae. Once traffic restrictions begin after 3:00 pm, buses and taxis may only get as far as the Daibutsuden-mae intersection or Kencho-mae because of congestion, and the organiser recommends walking from the station.
• From JR Nara Station: about 40 minutes on foot to IRAKA, or the same Nara Kotsu buses (same caveat after 3:00 pm).
• By car: there is no event parking. Roads around the hill are usually closed from about 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm, and some sections are fully closed — including to buses and taxis — from about 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. Use public transport.
• Going home: right after the fireworks the foothill and the Daibutsuden-mae intersection are extremely crowded, and the walk back to Kintetsu-Nara Station can take about an hour. Buses are rerouted, so the nearest stop for the return trip is Kencho-mae (about 400 m, a 5-minute walk, from Kintetsu-Nara Station). The organiser suggests watching the burning until about 7:30 pm and leaving later.

On the day you cannot climb to the summit. The Nara Okuyama Driveway (Shin-Wakakusayama course) is closed from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm, and all trails in the Kasugayama Primeval Forest are closed from noon. If you want to combine the evening with Todai-ji, check its closing time first in our Todaiji Temple visitor guide.

Cold, toilets and what to bring

The foot of Mt. Wakakusa on a late-January night gets close to freezing. Bring a thick down jacket, gloves, a scarf, a knit hat and good walking shoes. There are no temporary toilets for the event and no event rubbish bins, so plan to carry your rubbish out. If rain is forecast, bring rain gear; watching with an umbrella is allowed. If the weather or damp grass means the hill does not burn properly, the park sometimes burns it again in daylight in early February for park management.

The official website has English, Chinese and Korean pages, so foreign visitors can check the go / no-go announcement on the morning of the day in their own language.

Sources: Wakakusa Yamayaki official website (yamayaki.pref.nara.lg.jp — top page, FAQ, Access, Paid Viewing Tickets, Group Applications, Highlights) and Nara Prefecture's Wakakusa Yamayaki page (pref.nara.lg.jp/yamayaki/). The date also matches a 28 September 2026 press release by Naramachi-zukuri Co. Checked 2026-10-13.

Update log: 2026-10-13 — created from the official 2027 website (launched 7 October 2026).