Matsuri Guide

Name in Japanese and English

• 飛騨金山夏まつり・飛騨金山花火大会
• Hida-Kanayama Summer Festival & Hida-Kanayama Fireworks Festival

History

The Kanayama area (金山, Kanayama) in the city of Gero (下呂市, Gero-shi) hosts every year a major summer event called “Natsu matsuri” (夏祭り, natsu matsuri, “summer festival”), held around August 13 (fixed date). The heart of the event is the “Hanabi taikai” (花火大会, hanabi taikai, “fireworks festival”), launched extremely close to spectators near Kanayama-bashi (金山橋, Kanayama-bashi, “Kanayama Bridge”), which explains its local reputation as a “very close-up” fireworks show.

After a long interruption linked to COVID-19 (2020–2023), the fireworks returned in 2024, announced as a comeback “after 5 years” (5年ぶり, go-nen buri, “for the first time in five years”).

Event location and date

• Main location : the area around Kanayama Shinkō Jimusho (金山振興事務所, Kanayama shinkō jimusho, “local development office”) and central Kanayama (下呂市金山町, Gero-shi Kanayama-chō).
• Fireworks location : Kanayama-bashi jōryū kasenjiki (金山橋上流河川敷, “riverbank upstream of Kanayama Bridge”).
• Date : fixed: August 13 (8月13日, hachi-gatsu jū-san-nichi).
• Time (reference) : festival 17:00–22:00 (17時～22時, jū-nana-ji–ni-jū-ni-ji) and fireworks 20:00–20:30 (20時～20時30分, ni-jū-ji–ni-jū-ji san-jup-pun).
• Postponement : in case of bad weather (荒天, kōten, “adverse weather conditions”), possible postponement to August 15 (8月15日, hachi-gatsu jū-go-nichi).
• Reference address (organizers) : 〒509-1614 岐阜県下呂市金山町大船渡600-8(Gifu-ken, Gero-shi, Kanayama-chō Ōfunato 600-8).

Schedule

The exact program varies slightly from year to year, but the spirit stays the same: stalls (屋台, yatai, “festival booths”) and food trucks (キッチンカー, kicchin-kā) around the site, stage performances (e.g., taiko, 太鼓, taiko, “Japanese drums,” and children’s shows), then a large “bon odori” (盆踊り, bon odori, “summer dance”) before the fireworks begin.

The highlight is the “Hida Kanayama Hanabi Taikai” (飛騨金山花火大会, Hida Kanayama hanabi taikai), fired from the riverbank upstream of the bridge (上流河川敷, jōryū kasenjiki), typically for 30 minutes. Some sources mention around 8,000 shots (約8,000発, yaku hassen-patsu).

Practical tips

• Photos : arrive early to scout the riverbanks (kasenjiki, 河川敷, kasenjiki, “riverbank/embankment”) near Kanayama-bashi (金山橋, Kanayama-bashi); this is a “close” fireworks show, so a wide-angle lens is often more useful than a telephoto.
• Weather : mid-August can be very hot (猛暑, mōsho, “extreme heat”); water, a towel, and mosquito repellent are recommended. If it rains, watch for postponement (延期, enki, “postponement”) to August 15.
• Transport : very easy access on foot from Hida-Kanayama-eki (飛騨金山駅, Hida Kanayama-eki): about 3 minutes (徒歩約3分, to-ho yaku san-pun).

Link to the official page

下呂市公式 : 飛騨金山夏まつり(イベントページ)

Sources & References

• 下呂市公式 : 飛騨金山夏まつり — Municipal page: date, times, program (taiko, dances, stalls) and the fireworks time/location.
• 岐阜県観光公式 : 飛騨金山夏まつり — Tourism listing: reference address, event area, and practical information (parking, contact).
• JAPAN 47 GO : 飛騨金山花火大会 — Event listing: time 20:00–20:30, location “金山橋上流河川敷”, weather postponement note, and the volume of shots.
• 下呂温泉(旅館協同組合) : 飛騨金山花火大会(2024) — Local info: 2024 announcement, 30-minute duration, and the “5 years” mention.