Ube Shihanabi Taikai (Ube City Fireworks Festival)
宇部市花火大会
Ube Shihanabi Taikai (Ube City Fireworks Festival) is a fireworks festival held in Yamaguchi. Date: Every fourth Saturday in July; 25 July (Sat) in 2026. Total shells: about 3,500発（2026年予定）. Attendance: 約3万人. No. 72
Event essentials
Headline stats
- Total Shells
- 3,500発（2026年予定）
- Duration
- 30 min
- Nights
- 1 night(s)
- Attendance
- 約3万人
- Largest Shell
- 280 m height, 250 m burst diameter
- Founding Year
- 1955
Signature Sequences
- 01Fired from the waters of Ube Port
- 02Six-part programme whose last segment is the music fireworks
- 03Run on local company sponsorship money and citizen donations; sponsors receive perks such as sponsor seats
- 04Since the 55th edition in FY2009 the largest single fireworks festival in Yamaguchi Prefecture
Venue & Access
- Time Window
- 20:00-20:30 in 2026 (about 30 minutes)
- Venue
- Inside Ube Port (Shimmachi and Minatomachi quays)
- Address
- Inside Ube Port, Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture 33.946395°N, 131.243728°E
- Venue Size
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Venue Floor Type
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Gates Open
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Paid-Seat Holder Entry
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Spectator Capacity
- About 30,000 (typical attendance)
- Launch Company
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Production Company
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Sponsor
- Organiser: Ube City Fireworks Festival Executive Committee. Co-organisers: Ube City, Ube Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ube Convention & Tourism Bureau. Supporting body: Kusunoki Chamber of Commerce.
Access
Venue map
View on Google MapsFrom major cities
- From Tokyo
- About four hours by Shinkansen to Ube station, then on to Kotohira. The organiser recommends public transport.
- From Osaka
- About four hours by Shinkansen to Ube station, then the Ube Line to Kotohira.
- From Sendai
- About one hour by Shinkansen to Nagoya, then Meitetsu or JR to Okazaki and a change onto the JR Ube Line to Kotohira. The display starts at 20:00, so travel in the morning is advised.
- Nearest Station
- JR Kotohira station on the Ube Line, about 15 min walk
- Nearest Shinkansen
- Shin-Yamaguchi station, about 40 min
- Local Transit
- On the day, Ube City Transport, HNK Railway and JR West each run extra buses and trains. JR Kotohira is the nearest station.
- Parking
- The 2024 notice lists about 1,000 paid spaces run by Ube City and four free car parks (Kotohira Elementary about 150, Kanbara Elementary about 100, Miehataya Elementary about 100 and Ube City Library about 100, open 18:00-23:00). The 2026 entry says Kotohira block park, Ube City Library and the Kanbara school ground are opened as temporary car parks; no capacity figure is published.
- Parking Reservation
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Lodging Strategy
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- English Access
- The venue guidance and the festival programme are available in Japanese only. The approaches to the venue under traffic control are the main obstacle for visitors, and a 20:00 start is late for anyone travelling by public transport.
- Cash Required
- Free entry with no paid seats; food is bought at the stalls, with food trucks planned for 2026.
- Best Arrival
- Between 17:00 and 19:30. Traffic control starts at 17:00 and is lifted at 21:30.
- Peak Crowd
- The heaviest crowd arrives just before the 20:00 launch. The traffic-control window runs 17:00-21:30.
Tickets
- Seat Type
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Price Range
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Seat Count
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass) seats
- Sellout History
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Reservation
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Day-Of Ticket
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
Weather Policy
- Rain
- Held in rain. In stormy weather the display is postponed to the following day; if both days are stormy the event is cancelled.
- Decision Time
- 15:00 on the day, published on the Ube Chamber of Commerce website.
- Postponement
- Postponed to the next day (26 July 2026, Sun) in stormy weather; cancelled if both days are stormy.
- Wind Threshold
- Not confirmed in the sources checked (2026-10-20 pass)
- Typical Risks
- Late July is exposed to typhoons coming from Kyushu and Shikoku. In stormy weather the display is postponed by one day.
- Weather Cancellation History
- The standard response to stormy weather is a one-day postponement. No past cancellations are recorded in the sources checked.