Schedul
The ritual will be held at the dance pavilion starting at 7:00 PM.
The people seated in the tent appear to be officials or participants involved in the ceremony.
This information is based on my visit in 2023.
At 7 PM, the ceremony begins with a formal proclamation by the Shinto priest in the dance hall, followed by a sacred dance performed by shrine maidens.
This part lasts approximately 40 minutes.Afterward, participants move to Yanagihara Shinchi, where fireflies are released.
Those seated in tents (presumably invited guests) are guided in first, followed by the general public.
The general public was guided in just before 8 PM.
By the time I arrived at the pond, the firefly release was already over, but the sight of the glowing fireflies flitting around Yanagihara Shinchi was truly beautiful.
General visitors will be watching from the space behind or beside the tent, so if you’d like to get a better view closer to the front, it’s a good idea to arrive at the Maiden hall early.
If you prefer to avoid waiting in line, you can go after 8:00 PM and head straight to see the fireflies (as long as there’s no queue).
The shrine is also open for evening visits for about a week after the Hōjō-e Festival, so visiting on a different day is another good option.
In 2026, the Hōjō-e Festival falls on June 6, so the evening viewing period will likely be from June 7 to around June 13.
Fireflies flutter all around Yanagihara Shinchi (Pond), creating a magical atmosphere. However, it’s quite difficult to capture them in photos at night.
After watching the fireflies, I headed to the main shrine to pay my respects. Since it was already past 8:00 PM, I couldn’t go inside, but the approach at night had a wonderfully magical atmosphere.
There were hardly any people around, so it felt like I had the pathway all to myself—like having the entire approach just for me.
Firefly Release Festival
The Firefly Release Festival is held every year in early June at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu.
Originally, hōjō-e was a Buddhist ritual in which captured fish and birds were released as an act of compassion. Until the early Meiji period, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu functioned as a combined shrine-temple complex, reflecting the tradition of shinbutsu-shūgō (the fusion of Shinto and Buddhism). Because of this, it is said that hōjō-e ceremonies had already been performed here since the Kamakura period.
This modern festival has been held since 2004, inspired by those traditions.
In spring, children from the local kindergarten release firefly larvae into the clear stream of Yanagihara Shinike Pond. Those larvae then grow into the glowing fireflies you can see during the festival season.
Reference: Hiroshi Harada, A Small Encyclopedia of Festivals and Events in Kamakura, Kamakura Shunjusha, 2012.
The Firefly Release Festival is a celebration of the preciousness of life and the richness of the seasons, expressed through the growth and release of fireflies. It is also an occasion to offer gratitude to the deities who protect us as we live within this natural cycle.
On the day of the festival, a ritual is held at the Maiden hall from the early evening. The fireflies that were raised in Yanagihara Shinchi are offered before the gods, and the ceremony proceeds solemnly, accompanied by a sacred dance performed by shrine maidens. As the gentle sounds of the shō (a traditional Japanese wind instrument) fill the serene night, the chief priest and other shrine officials release the fireflies into the pond, where they quietly take flight.
👉 Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine Homepage「蛍放生祭」
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Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine
From Kamakura Station East Exit, it’s best to either walk through Komachi Street or go straight and take Wakamiya Ōji Avenue via Dankazura. It’s about a 10-minute walk.
Opening hours: Year-round, 6:00 AM – 8:00 PM (visitors can enter the main shrine for worship from 8:00 AM).
Address: 2-1-31 Yuki no Shita, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine Office: +81-467-22-0315
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