Yoshida Fire Festival

This annual festival is conducted at Kitaguchihongu Fuji Sengen-jinja Shrine and Suwa-jinja Shrine in order to calm down volcanic Mt. Fuji from erupting. The festival also serves to announce the end of the summer mountain climbing season. A variety of dazzling Shinto rituals are held over the two days of the festival, such as the Susuki-sai, in which two portable shrines called Omyojin-san and Oyama-san are paraded around; after returning to Sengan-jinja Shrine, the portable shrines are followed around by worshipers carrying sacred Japanese pampas grass tamagushi tied with paper strips to pray for easy childbirth and good health. The giant, three meter tall torch lit on the first night of the festival when the portable shrines are readied is particularly beautiful and a must-see. The festival is designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property by Yamanashi Prefecture and is also considered both one of the top three strange festivals in Japan and top 10 fire festivals in Japan.