Otaru Ushio Matsuri

Overview

The Otaru Ushio Matsuri (Otaru Tide Festival) is the largest summer festival in Otaru, held over three days on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the end of July each year in Otaru City, Hokkaido. It began in 1967 (Showa 42) to pray for the transmission of history and culture and for the development of the town, and since then it has been cherished as a major event coloring the summer of the port town of Otaru. The main feature of the festival is the "Ushio Nerikomi," in which neighborhood associations, schools, companies and others each form groups and dance their way from the city center to the port in time to the tune of the "Ushio Ondo." The spectacle of large numbers of dancers in colorful matching costumes heading toward the port to the rhythm of the Ushio Ondo is magnificent, and the whole town is wrapped in the festival's heat. In recent years it has grown into a representative summer festival of Hokkaido, drawing crowds on the scale of one to 1.3 million visitors per year. In 2026 it marks its memorable 60th edition.

The people of the port town of Otaru celebrate the history of a town that has walked together with the sea, dance in hope of its development, and on the final day bring the festival to a close with a grand fireworks display coloring the night sky. Filled with gratitude for the sea's bounty and pride in the town, it can be called a symbol of Otaru's summer.

History and Origins

The Otaru Ushio Matsuri was born in 1967 (Showa 42). Until then, various events such as a port festival, a competitive fireworks display, and an industrial products exhibition had been held separately in Otaru, and the beginning of the Otaru Ushio Matsuri was the reorganization of these into one, as a large town-wide summer festival. It was a festival created with citizens united, under the clear purpose of conveying history and culture to the next generation while praying for the further development of the port town of Otaru.

From the Meiji through the Taisho and early Showa eras, Otaru flourished greatly as the maritime gateway of Hokkaido and as a major hub of commerce and finance. Gratitude to the sea that supported that prosperity, and a wish for the town's future, came to fruition in the form of the Ushio Matsuri. Its origin, born by integrating multiple events, symbolizes the spirit of the people of Otaru to nurture a single festival all together. More than half a century after its birth, the fact that it reaches the major milestone of its 60th edition in 2026 shows just how deeply this festival has taken root among citizens and continued to be loved across generations.

Highlights

The greatest highlight is the "Ushio Nerikomi," the festival's main event. Neighborhood associations, schools, companies and others each form groups (ren) and dance their way from the city center toward the port in time to the tune of the "Ushio Ondo." The spectacle of large numbers of dancers in matching costumes moving in unison to the lively rhythm of the Ushio Ondo, forming lines as they head for the port, is full of impact and overwhelms onlookers.

The festival opens splendidly with the "Ushio Furekomi," and at the opening ceremony, the dedication of sacred water and a lighting ceremony are performed. On the middle day the Ushio Nerikomi takes place, and on the final day a portable shrine parade unfolds, so that throughout the three days the town is dyed entirely in festival colors. And bringing the festival's finale is the grand fireworks display coloring the port's night sky on the final day. Large fireworks are launched one after another over the sea, and together with the light reflected on the water's surface, they create a moving scene befitting the conclusion of the Ushio Matsuri. The three days, in which the heat of the dancing, the splendor of the fireworks, and the open atmosphere unique to a port town are united, are the climax of Otaru's summer.

Several thousand dancers form groups and participate in the Ushio Nerikomi each year, and their procession fills the route from the city center to the port. The sight of local people of all ages dancing the same Ushio Ondo across generations conveys the sense of unity unique to Otaru, which has nurtured the festival as a whole town. The hand-clapping of spectators lining the route and the shouts of the dancers resonate together, and the entire port town comes to be wrapped in a single rhythm. Then, on the night of the final day, the grand fireworks launched one after another above the port dye the night sky as if releasing all at once the heat of the three-day festival, casting their light onto the surface of Otaru Bay. The fireworks staged over the sea make for an unforgettable finale befitting the conclusion of the festival of the port town of Otaru.

Access and Visiting Information

The Otaru Ushio Matsuri is held over three days on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the end of July each year. The basic flow is the Ushio Furekomi and opening ceremony on the first day, the Ushio Nerikomi on the middle day, and the portable shrine parade and grand fireworks display on the final day. The venue stretches from the center of Otaru City to the port, and for the latest dates, details of each event, and routes, it is best to check the official information of the Otaru Ushio Matsuri. Note that in recent years, as a measure against heatstroke, the routes of the Ushio Nerikomi and the portable shrine parade are sometimes shortened.

For access, Otaru Station on the JR Hakodate Main Line serves as the gateway, and the venue is conveniently within walking distance of the station. It can also be reached from Sapporo by rail in a short time, offering excellent access from within and outside Hokkaido. During the festival period, large-scale traffic restrictions are in place in the center, and it bustles with many visitors, so the use of public transportation is recommended.

Nearby Attractions

Otaru is a nationally popular tourist destination as a retro port town that conveys the prosperity of the Meiji and Taisho eras to the present. The Otaru Canal, lined with stone warehouses, is known as the scenery that symbolizes Otaru, and a stroll along the canal where gas lamps light up at dusk has an exceptional charm. There is also no shortage of sights and gourmet experiences, such as the group of historic buildings in the financial district once called the "Wall Street of the North," glass crafts, music boxes, and renowned sushi restaurants where you can savor the bounty of the sea. After enjoying the heat of the Ushio Matsuri, touring the canal and the historic streetscape lets you fully savor the charm of the port town of Otaru.

Related Information

The Otaru Ushio Matsuri is a relatively new festival with a history of having been created by the hands of citizens, born in 1967 by integrating several existing events. Yet at its foundation flows a deep sentiment: pride in the long history of the port town of Otaru, which has flourished together with the sea, gratitude for the sea's bounty, and a wish for the town's development. The sight of citizens dancing as one in the Ushio Nerikomi and coloring the summer sky with the grand fireworks display is the very spirit of the people of Otaru, who have nurtured the festival as a whole town. As one of Hokkaido's foremost summer festivals, drawing more than a million visitors a year, even as it reaches the milestone of its 60th edition in 2026, the Otaru Ushio Matsuri will continue to warmly color the summers of the port town of Otaru for years to come.

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