July

This event is held to promote exchange among Iga residents and create memories for the children who will serve as leaders for the next generation. The night sky of Iga-Ueno is lit up with massive fireworks.

At the Yoimiya (Preparation Night) Festival, after the fireworks display is over, lanterns are brought in from the 11 parishioners’ districts, and the Kugatachi ritual is performed as a prayer for bountiful harvests and good health. At the Gion Festival the following day, children's dances and a Hanagasa ritual (Uchiwa-tori) are performed.

Every year on July 31, a fireworks display is held during the Yoimiya Festival of the Gion Festival at Yabuta Shrine. Fireworks rising over the roughly 35-meter-tall banners are an awe-inspiring sight that can only be witnessed at Yabuta Shrine. There are also many stalls set up on the grounds of the shrine, which bustles with families and groups of friends.

The Ueki Shrine Gion Festival consists of two parts, the Yoimiya (Preparation Night) Festival and the Hon (Main Day) Festival. This spectacular event features processions of portable shrines and Danjiri floats, as well as Gion Flowers. The majestic procession of portable shrines and lavish Danjiri floats is truly a sight to behold. Two portable shrines and three Danjiri floats make their way along the old Kaido road to Ueki Shrine, praying for bountiful harvests. The portable shrines and Danjiri floats are more than 400 years old.

The Chikata Lore Association, a volunteer organization made up of Takao residents, holds the Glacial Pothole Festival during children’s summer vacation to spread awareness of Chikata Cave, a historic site with connections to Fujiwara no Chikata, the Sakayanagi Glacial Potholes, and the legend of General Fujiwara no Chikata. There are also events such as trout fishing near the potholes and throwing stones into the holes to ward off bad luck.