Kashiwazaki Fireworks Festival Tour 2026
An authentic Japanese summer festival experience awaits
On this 3 night, 4 day small group tour (6 total guests), immerse yourself in authentic Japan in Niigata. You’ll stay in a traditional thatched-roof cottage, take part in traditional festival dancing and carry a portable mikoshi shrine in a parade, make your own washi-paper, spend a day relaxing at a hot spring, and watch one of the best fireworks festivals in Niigata prefecture from specially reserved seats.
Tour at a glance
Inclusions:
- All lodging and accommodation fees
- Lunch on Day 3
- Dinner on Days 1-3
- On-trip remote support via WhatsApp or other instant messaging service
- English-speaking interpreter-guide
- Transportation between accommodations and scheduled activities
- Washi Paper Workshop
- Minyo Nagashi Dance Experience
- Taru Nikawa Mikoshi Parade Participation
- Fireworks Festival Reserved Seating
- Day Trip to Hot Spring
Exclusions:
- Travel insurance
- Personal expenses and gratuities
- Admission fees to attractions during self-guided time
- Food and drink in addition to the prix fixe meals included as part of the package
- Optional extensions or customizations to trip
- Other items not explicitly listed as included
We can also provide the following options for an additional fee:
- Add-ons to the tour
- Interpretation in languages other than English
Participants
4 to 6 spots remaining, depending on rooming situation
Cost
¥117,900 per person
Tour Length
4 days, 3 nights
Tour Dates
July 24th to July 27th, 2026 (Friday to Monday)
Tour Start/End Location
Nagaoka Station, Niigata Prefecture
Important notes
Dietary Restrictions:
Day 1: July 24
Day 1 Tour Highlights
Arrive in Nagaoka via a morning bullet train.
Your day starts at 10:00 am at Nagaoka Station, where you will meet your interpreter guide, before heading over to the supermarket to stock up on snack/ breakfast foods.
Head to Oginoshima Kayabuki no Sato, a traditional Japanese hamlet featuring thatched-roof farmhouses, where you will be staying overnight at Shima no Ie, a whole-house private kominka rental.
After settling in, enjoy an early dinner of freshly prepared miso soup and onigiri. You will then change into yukata with the help of local “okasan” for this evening’s Minyo Nagashi, a traditional street dance parade in which locals in matching yukata dance to traditional Japanese folk songs. This festival fills Niigata’s streets with dancers and spectators, eager to enjoy a summer night together.
After you have danced yourself out, return to Shima no Ie for the evening.
Day 2: July 25
Day 2 Tour Highlights
After breakfast on your own, explore this charming village. Visit Jonnobi Hot Spring Resort, renowned for the skin-beautifying properties of its reddish-brown sodium bicarbonate spring waters. Enjoy a slow morning of relaxation at this day-trip hot spring, and some of the delicious food on offer in the restaurant located on-site.
In the late afternoon, you will return to the city center for another evening of festivities. Join the Gion Kashiwazaki Festival’s Taru Niwaka. Niwaga is a folk entertainment that was popular from the Edo to Meiji periods. Handmade portable shrines (mikoshi) and floats will parade through the city’s main streets. Alongside the Bourbon Water Polo Club team, join in the stirring chants of “Seiya!” as you help carry a mikoshi along the parade route.
Return to your thatched cottage for the evening.
Day 3: July 26
Day 3 Tour Highlights
After breakfast on your own, you’ll travel to Kadoide to learn how snow country locals have been making washi paper for the last 300 years. After creating your own washi paper souvenirs, you’ll return to Shima no Ie for a BBQ lunch .
This evening marks the final day of the festival, the Grand Fireworks show. The Kashiwazaki Grand Fireworks Festival is one of the top three fireworks displays in Niigata prefecture. 15,000 fireworks are launched every year on July 26th, including a 600-meter-wide starmine and 300 shaku-dama launched simultaneously in a long row. At your reserved table and chair seating, you will be served a festival bento during the show. You will return to Shima no Ie after.
Day 4: July 27
Day 4 Tour Highlights
After breakfast on your own, you will be taken to Nagaoka station to continue your travels in Japan.
Alternatively, you can visit Hasegawa Farmer’s House, the oldest private residence preserved in Niigata. For fifteen generations, the powerful and influential Hasegawa family lived here. After touring the house, you will visit Asahi Sake Brewery’s restaurant for lunch before being dropped off at Nagaoka station in the afternoon.
Reservations
You can send a booking inquiry below. After we receive your inquiry, we will confirm if we can accommodate your group and tour dates and contact you from there.
Cancelation Policy
Our cancelation policy for this tour is below.
21 days or more before date of tour
No penalty
20 days to 8 days before date of tour
20% of total price
7 days to 2 days before date of tour
30% of total price
1 day before date of tour
40% of total price
Day of the tour
50% of total price
After start of tour or no-show
100% of total price
