Every year on the first Saturday of August, Ushimado celebrates its biggest annual festival! The marina is full of yatais (food stands) from which you can grab all sorts of delicious Japanese festival food from yaki soba, kara-age, takoyaki and a few other surprises, as well as people walking about in their yukata (summer kimono) with their significant other or their entire family. Both modern and traditional music is being played, the best part being the impressive taiko (drum) demonstration! But everything comes to a stall when the first fireworks illuminate Ushimado bay. Everyone goes silent and watches in awe the display of colours above the surface of the Seto Inland sea.
The event usually starts at around 18:30 but it is highly recommended to come early in order to get a parking space. As the event welcomes a lot of people, a spacious parking area near the marina is opened for the occasion from 17h. The fireworks would begin at around 20-20:30 and last for an hour (an hour of pure greatness!). As the public transport is very limited in the Ushimado area, if you are not coming by car, you can always grab a taxi or take the bus departing from Oku station. To check the bus schedule, please click here. A taxi ride would cost around 2800 yen one way and take 20 minutes to get there. Another option is to stay in one of the lovely hotels in Ushimado!
Useful tips: It will be hot. So bring water and a fan! There is a convenience store right next to the marina, but keep in mind that there will be a lot of people therefore getting a bottle of water and a fan is possible but it might take time and/or they might run out of stock. Also, bring a picnic blanket or a tarp to sit on. It will not only make sitting on the floor more agreeable, it will also help establish your territory and dissuade anyone from entering it.
