One of the Three Great Boat Festivals of Japan takes place in Shiogama, less than 30 minutes from downtown Sendai! The night before the main festival, the night sky over Matsushima Bay will be lit up with a large fireworks display.

The main festival is on Marine Day, a national holiday. It begins in the morning at Shiogama Shrine, where people dressed in white carry a one-ton omikoshi (portable shrine) down the steep stairway. At noon, the festival takes to the water with a boat parade featuring colorful dragon and phoenix boats followed by fishing boats waving large flags. Revelers carry the omikoshi back through Shiogama and up to the shrine in early evening. Follow the procession on foot throughout the city and watch the boats from land or from a sightseeing boat.