What Is Tsuwano Like Through the Year? Yabusame, the Heron Dance and Autumn Colour

Published 2026-10-04 · Sources checked 2026-10-04 · Treasure Hunting Co., Ltd.

This guide is for visitors deciding when to go to Tsuwano. It uses the English pages of the official Shimane travel guide and the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). All pages were read on 2026-10-04. Event dates move from year to year, so confirm them with the organisers.

The short answer

The pages we read point to three seasons of interest: the horseback archery festival in early April, the cherry blossoms that frame it, and the autumn colours that the Shimane guide promotes in an offer for visitors from Hiroshima. A few attractions also change with the season, notably the castle chairlift, which stops on weekdays in winter.

Spring: yabusame

Yabusame, a horseback archery festival, is held at Washibara Hachimangu Shrine on the first Sunday of April, with a morning and an afternoon event. The Shimane guide says the archers wear hunting outfits of the Kamakura period (1185 to 1333) and shout "in!-yo!" as they approach each of three 50-centimeter square targets along a 250-meter course. Riders of the Ogasawara School from Kamakura compete against local riders. Admission is free, with reserved seats at 2,000 yen (50 seats per event) in the year the page lists, 2024, when the festival fell on April 7. The page asks visitors to arrive early for free seating and advises against bringing mats, chairs or tripods. The shrine's riding course is, according to the guide, the only original horseback archery course left in Japan, modelled on the one at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu in Kamakura. JNTO calls yabusame a holy ritual.

The heron dance

The Shimane guide and JNTO both mention Sagimai, the Heron Dance, which the guide calls a tradition maintained for over 400 years. The pages we read give no date or place for it, so ask the Tsuwano tourist association before planning around it.

Early summer: irises

The Shimane guide says Tonomachi Street is especially beautiful when the white and purple irises bloom. It does not give the month. Yomeiji Temple's garden shows fresh green in spring and water lilies in summer, the temple page says.

Autumn: foliage

Hori Garden's foliage turns in three bands from the foot of the mountain to the summit, and the guide calls the garden outstanding for autumn colour. The castle ruins page recommends a visit in the foliage season. An offer for international travelers advertised a Hiroshima-to-Tsuwano discount bus ticket for an autumn season, with "stunning autumn colors and historic streets"; the page we read does not say which year.

Winter: fewer hours

The castle ruins chairlift is closed on weekdays from December 1 to the end of February, except January 1 to 3 and public holidays. Hori Garden is closed on Mondays, and the Anno museum on Thursdays, in each case except on holidays.

Night sky

The Shimane guide describes Tsuwano as the home of star-filled skies. The observatory page lists observation hours from 19:00 to 22:00 and says to check the weather, since the summit's weather is changeable.

Choosing a day

Several sights are free or open all year, which helps if the weather turns. The Shimane guide says the Catholic church is free to visit, with a donation box in the exhibition room, and that Taikodani Inari Shrine is open all year. The castle ruins are the most weather-dependent: the guide says morning cloud makes the walls look as if they float, but the walk from the lift to the main enclosure takes about 20 minutes in the open. If you want the stars, the observatory page lists observation from 19:00 to 22:00 and says to check the weather first.

Planning for yabusame day

The yabusame page lists a roadside station, Tsuwano Onsen Nagomi-no-Sato, with parking for 200 cars, and the shrine page gives 10 minutes by car, 25 minutes by bicycle or 40 minutes on foot from the station. Group reservations are made through the Tsuwano Yabusame Preservation Committee, whose contact details are on the page. Because the festival falls on the first Sunday of April and the page says dates may change depending on the year, confirm the date before booking a room.

What we could not verify, and therefore left out

• The date and venue of the heron dance.
• Yabusame seating prices for this year, since the page lists 2024.
• When the irises and maples peak.
• Snow cover in winter.

Related guides

• How do you get to Tsuwano and get around the castle town?
• What is Tsuwano? The "Little Kyoto" of San-in, Tonomachi, carp and Taikodani Inari

Sources

All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.

1. Yabusame Archery Festival (Shimane official travel guide) — (festival)
2. Washibara Hachimangu Shrine (Shimane official travel guide) — (riding course)
3. Tsuwano & Masuda (JNTO) — (yabusame as ritual, Sagimai)
4. Tsuwano Castle Ruins (Shimane official travel guide) — (chairlift, foliage)
5. Hori Garden (Shimane official travel guide) — (autumn foliage, closing day)
6. Tonomachi Street, Tsuwano (Shimane official travel guide) — (irises)
7. Yomeiji Temple (Shimane official travel guide) — (garden seasons)
8. Anno Mitsumasa Museum (Shimane official travel guide) — (closing day)
9. Nichihara Astronomical Observatory (Shimane official travel guide) — (night sky)
10. Special Offer for International Travelers (Shimane official travel guide) — (autumn offer)