Tenjin Matsuri
Osaka · Boat festival
Two days at Osaka Tenmangu that end with a hundred boats on the Okawa river and fireworks overhead.
Dates
24 to 25 July 2027
Held every year on 24 and 25 July, with the river procession on the evening of the 25th.
What happens when
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 25 July 2027, 18:00 | Funatogyo river procession About a hundred boats on the Okawa, with fireworks from around 19:30. |
Tenjin Matsuri honours Sugawara no Michizane, the scholar deified as the god of learning, and it has been held in some form for over a thousand years. The first day is land-bound and comparatively quiet. The second is what people mean when they name the festival: a procession leaves the shrine in the afternoon, and by evening it has transferred to boats on the Okawa, where roughly a hundred vessels move upstream and down with drums going and fireworks opening overhead. Watching from a bridge is free and crowded; the riverbank near Sakuranomiya has more room.
Getting a good spot
The riverbank fills from late afternoon on the 25th. Sakuranomiya, one stop north, has noticeably more room than the bridges nearest the shrine, and you still see both the boats and the fireworks.
Where it happens
Access
Common questions
When is Tenjin Matsuri?
On 24 and 25 July every year. The river procession and the fireworks are on the evening of the 25th.
Where should I stand for the fireworks?
The stretch of riverbank near Sakuranomiya station gives you both the boats and the fireworks with more space than the bridges by the shrine, which fill hours ahead.