![[Latest 2026] Seiyo City Annual Event Calendar! Festivals & Events Summary](https://machikadoehime.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/image-4-1024x768.webp)
📅 Event Calendar (Seiyo Area)
4/29
Uwa Rengetsu Festival
Seiyo City's Biggest Spring Festival 📅 Annually on April 29 (Showa Day)
Lotus fields around JR Iyo-Ishizuchi Station
First Sunday of July
Okuiyo's Unique Festival: Doronko Matsuri (Mud Festival)
Okuiyo's Unique Festival 📅 Annually on the first Sunday of July
Mishima Shrine, Shirokawa Town
8/13
Okuchi no Umi no Carnival
Sea Curling 📅 Annually around August 13
Around Mikame Umi-no-Eki Shiosai-kan
Around 10/22
Unomachi Autumn Festival (Mishima Shrine Autumn Grand Festival)
Ushioni and Retro Town 📅 Annually around October 22
Around Mishima Shrine and the Unomachi townscape
Late Oct - Early Nov
Z-1 Grand Prix (Rag-Wiping Race)
109m Rag-Wiping 📅 Annually late October - early November
Uwa Rice Museum
Spring, Autumn
Akeha Marche
Grand Marche 📅 Regularly held in spring and autumn, etc.
Uwa Culture Hall, etc. (Varies by event)
Late Nov
Otoi Ozumo (Grand Sumo)
Pro-Am Grand Sumo 📅 Annually late November (2 days)
Seiyo Otoi no Sato Otoi Kaikan
🐘
Spring Festival
Uwa Rengetsu Festival
🐘 A giant 'Straw Mammoth' towers over the rice fields! Seiyo City's biggest spring event, held in vast lotus fields approximately two times the size of Tokyo Dome. The giant 'Straw Mammoth' made of rice straw is its symbol. On the day of the event, the area bustles all day with Japan's largest mochi-pounding competition, local performing arts, and food stalls.
The Straw Mammoth itself remains in the rice fields even after the harvest, serving as a popular photo spot that entertains tourists year-round.
🏃
Sports
Shikoku Seiyo Asagiri Lake Marathon
A popular marathon event selected as one of the 'Top 100 Running Races in Japan.' Many runners from both within and outside Ehime gather to run a course that offers beautiful fresh greenery along Asagiri Lake and the refreshing breeze of nature.
🌾
Traditional Ritual, Unique Festival
Okuiyo's Unique Festival: Doronko Matsuri (Mud Festival)
A traditional ritual dating back to 1881 (Meiji 14), praying for a bountiful harvest and good health. Participants in white robes enter the sacred rice fields and humorously smear mud on each other, earning it the name 'Okuiyo's Unique Festival' and drawing laughter from spectators.
🎆
Summer Festival, Fireworks
Okuchi no Umi no Carnival
The biggest summer festival that brightens up Obon in Mikame-cho. Get excited with the famous "Human Curling" where participants slide on rails over the sea in tubs, and at night, powerful fireworks launched from the bay illuminate the night sky and sea surface.
🎭
Traditional Performing Arts
Tonoe Bon Odori
A traditional Bon Odori passed down in Akahama-cho, a coastal town in Ehime. Dancers in splendid Kabuki costumes perform elegant dances mimicking famous Kabuki scenes, making it a local performing art of high historical value.
👹
Autumn Festival
Unomachi Autumn Festival (Mishima Shrine Autumn Grand Festival)
A grand festival that heralds the arrival of autumn in Uwa-cho. Ushioni, Yotsudaiko, Mikoshi, Itsushika, Hotakabu, and more parade through the retro townscape, creating a magnificent and gorgeous spectacle like a historical picture scroll.
💨
Sports Event
Z-1 Grand Prix (Rag-Wiping Race)
A thrilling time race across generations, where participants wipe a rag straight down the "longest wooden corridor in Japan (109 meters long)" at the former Uwa-cho Elementary School! This is a major sports event unique to Seiyo City, attracting participants from all over the country.
🛍️
Market, Flea Market
Akeha Marche
Seiyo City's largest market event, regularly held at Uwa Culture Hall and other venues. Numerous shops offering local gourmet food, food trucks, handmade goods, workshops, and more participate, providing a full day of fun for families.
🤼
Grand Sumo Ritual
Otoi Ozumo (Grand Sumo)
🤼 Professional Makuuchi wrestlers and local amateurs compete seriously! A legendary Grand Sumo event that has continued for over 170 years since Kaei 5 (1852). This is the only Grand Sumo in Japan where professional Makuuchi wrestlers directly compete against amateur athletes from across the country. You can also enjoy the "Chigo no Dohyo-iri" (children's sumo ring entrance ceremony) and the famous Chanko Nabe (sumo wrestler's hot pot).
The venue is filled with excitement every year as you can witness the powerful matches of real sumo wrestlers up close.
🐄
Spectacular Views / Nature
Shikoku Karst - Onogahara
[Nomura Town] One of Japan's three great karsts, spreading across the sky at an altitude of 1,400m. It's called 'Japan's Switzerland' due to the sight of grazing cows, and its rich milk soft-serve ice cream and scenic drives are popular all year round.
🏘️
Attractions & Retro Stroll
Unomachi Townscape & Kaimei School
[Uwa-cho] A townscape designated as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, retaining the atmosphere from the Edo period to the early Showa period. You can enjoy retro experiences year-round at Shikoku's oldest elementary school building, "Kaimei School," and the Uwa Folk Tool Museum.
🎨
Art Museum / Art
Gallery Shirokawa 'Kamaboko Board Art'
[Shirokawa Town] An exhibition held at the 'Gallery Shirokawa' art museum, where small kamaboko (fish cake) boards are used as canvases. You can enjoy unique and humorous works gathered from all over Japan.
🌊
Resort / Hot Spring
Akehama Seaside Sun Park & Shioyu Hot Spring
[Akehama Town] A multi-purpose resort facility where the blue of Uwa Sea stretches out. After enjoying marine activities like sea kayaking and BBQ, you can relax while feeling the sea breeze at the ocean-view hot spring 'Shioyu'.
🐟
Roadside Station / Morning Market
Mikame Umi-no-Eki Shiosai-kan (Binbin Market)
[Mikame Town] The 'Mikame Binbin Market' held on the third Sunday of every month is very popular! In addition to fresh seafood and local specialties like mandarins, you can also observe citrus juice pressing (seasonal) inside the facility.
🍚
Roadside Station
Roadside Station Donburikan
[Uwa Town] A large roadside station boasting immense popularity as Seiyo City's land gateway. All the specialties from Seiyo's five towns, including freshly picked vegetables, fresh seafood, famous jakoten (fried fish cake), and Shirokawa bacon, are gathered here.
🏛️
Museum / Theme Park
Ehime Museum of History and Culture (Rekihaku)
[Uwa Town] A super-large museum where you can experience Ehime's history and folklore through life-sized reconstructed models (such as Showa-era townscapes). It's a popular spot that can be enjoyed even on rainy days, with many regular events like 'Hanibo's Acorn Marche'.
🧶
Experience / Museum
Nomura Silk Museum
[Nomura Town] A rare museum in Japan where you can learn about the history of silk in Nomura Town, which prospered from sericulture and silk reeling. You can enjoy authentic silk experiences (reservations required) such as coaster making and shawl weaving using a loom, all year round.
📝 Information is current as of writing. Dates, contents, and fees are subject to change.
Please check the official website before visiting.
Please check the official website before visiting.
