murmurSummer Solstice Festival at Futami Okitama Shrine
Ise City · Futami Okitama Shrine and the shore before the Meoto Iwa (Wedded Rocks)
Dates and details can change. Always check the official website before you go.
Futami Okitama Shrine · Last checked: Oct 11, 2026
Dates
Dates not confirmed
- 2026
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- 2027
- Dates have not been announced yet. Please check the official website.
- Usual timing
- Usually late June
- How the date is set
- Changes from year to year Held on the day of the summer solstice (June 21 or 22), with an early-morning rite followed by purification in the sea at sunrise
- Venue
- Futami Okitama Shrine and the shore before the Meoto Iwa (Wedded Rocks)
- City
- Ise City, Mie
About
On the morning of the summer solstice, Futami Okitama Shrine holds a special rite to worship the sun as it rises between the Meoto Iwa, the Wedded Rocks. The ceremony starts in the dark before dawn, and at sunrise participants wade into the sea in front of the rocks for misogi purification. When conditions are right, the sun may come up from behind the silhouette of Mount Fuji. A spirit-calming practice is held in the hall the previous afternoon. Futami Bay has long been revered as the shore where pilgrims cleansed themselves in seawater before visiting Ise. Joining the purification or the spirit-calming rite requires advance registration, in person or by phone, and closes once places fill. To simply watch, head to the beach in front of the rocks while it is still dark.
Sources
- OfficialFutami Okitama Shrine futamiokitamajinja.or.jp
- OfficialFutami Okitama Shrine futamiokitamajinja.or.jp
Last checked: Oct 11, 2026. Event information is based on official announcements, but changes may not always be reflected here. Please check each official website for accurate details.
Other events this month
On the day, see what locals are murmuring on the murmur map
murmur is an app that shows short, anonymous posts on a map, right where they were written. On festival day, open the map around the venue and see what people nearby are saying.