Nagahama Hachimangu Shrine 長濱八幡宮

With a rich, diverse history that goes back almost a thousand years, Nagahama Hachimangu Shrine is home to the main god of Nagahama City as well as a number of seasonal events.

Nagahama Hachimangu Shrine is easily accessible by train.

Take the Tokaido Shinkansen to Maibara (20 minutes from Kyoto). Then take the Hokuriku Main Line to Nagahama (about 10 minutes). The shrine is about a 15-minute walk from Nagahama Station.

For almost a thousand years, Nagahama Hachimangu Shrine has been the home of Nagahama's main deity, Hachimangu, a Shinto god of good fortune. The shrine houses many important cultural properties.

It is worth a visit to see the shrine, clap your hands, and ask the deity to grant a wish. But the shrine is mostly known as the starting point for the annual Nagahama Hikiyama Festival in April (usually held around April 15).

Huge, finely crafted floats known as hikiyama are pulled through the town while local boys between the ages of five and 12 put on kabuki performances. This matsuri is one of Japan's biggest float festivals, and in 2016, it was added to UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.