Shiraoi Hachiman Shrine Annual Grand Festival

About this event

This is the annual grand festival held every autumn at Shiraoi Hachiman Shrine, located in Shiraoi Town, Hokkaido. The festival is said to have originated approximately 350 years ago with the enshrinement of Benzaiten, and it is bustling with many worshippers as the head guardian shrine of Shiraoi District. During the festival, the Yosakoi Soran Dance takes place with 50 teams and 2,500 participants from all over Hokkaido, known as a festival second in scale only to the Yosakoi Soran Festival in Sapporo. The shrine grounds house numerous historically and culturally valuable artifacts, including the Ekaterina Votive Plaque showcasing exchanges with the Russian Empire and the Homare Pine estimated to be around 800 years old. According to the 2026 schedule, the annual grand festival is slated for September 25 through 27, with the Yosakoi Grand Dance in Shiraoi also being held on September 27.

Venue

Shiraoi Hachiman Shrine

1-1-11 Honcho, Shiraoi-cho, Shiraoi-gun, Hokkaido 059-0906