Hakone Shrine hosts a two-shrine festival on 15 November

Hakone Shrine will host a two-shrine festival on 15 November 2026, giving visitors to Hakone, Japan, a chance to observe linked monthly rites and a Shichi-Go-San celebration.

The programme concerns the shrine and its affiliated Kuzuryu Shrine, rather than a separate city event. The official notice says the ceremony begins at 8am, with the Hakone Shrine rite followed by the monthly rite at Kuzuryu Shrine.

Hakone Shrine sets two-shrine festival for 15 November

The event is described by the custodian as a combined monthly festival for visiting both shrines and a celebration for children associated with Shichi-Go-San. The notice invites people to attend, and places the first ceremony at Hakone Shrine before the second rite at Kuzuryu Shrine.

The announcement was published on 9 November 2026. Its date, venue and sequence of ceremonies appear together in the official November programme. The timing matters for travellers because the main public element is scheduled for the morning, not as an evening performance.

Centuries of worship frame the November ceremony

Hakone Shrine is a Shinto shrine on the forested shore of Lake Ashi. Its history is traced to 757, when the priest Mangan established a sanctuary among the mountains. The shrine moved to its present site in 1667, according to the Hakone tourism authority.

The lakeside setting gives the November programme a clear physical context. Visitors encounter a religious complex of gates, buildings and red lanterns, while the Peace Torii stands at the water's edge. The gate was erected in 1952 to commemorate the crown prince's reign and Japan's independence, as described by Hakone tourism information. The two-shrine format therefore connects a current November observance with a site whose documented history reaches back more than twelve centuries.

How the two-shrine programme connects Hakone worship

The ceremony also reflects the shrine's established relationship with Kuzuryu Shrine. The official notice identifies both monthly rites and says that visitors can worship at both shrines on the same occasion. It does not announce a concert, exhibition or commercial activity, so the news is specifically about religious observance at the shrine complex.

The programme is also distinct from the annual events held elsewhere in Hakone. The date falls within the current travel window and gives visitors a fixed morning point around which to plan a visit to Lake Ashi and the surrounding shrine grounds.

Visiting Hakone Shrine: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The two-shrine festival takes place at Hakone Shrine on 15 November 2026, beginning at 8am according to the official shrine notice.
• The programme starts with the Hakone Shrine monthly rite and continues with the Kuzuryu Shrine monthly rite; the official notice invites people to attend.
• The shrine stands at Motohakone 80-1 on the shore of Lake Ashi in Hakone, Kanagawa.
• Hakone Tozan bus lines H and K run from Hakone-Yumoto Station to the Hakone-jinja-iriguchi stop, followed by a walk to the shrine.
• Japan's official language is Japanese and its national currency is the yen.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Hakone Shrine

When does the two-shrine festival take place at Hakone Shrine?

It takes place on 15 November 2026 and begins at 8am, with the Hakone Shrine monthly rite followed by the Kuzuryu Shrine monthly rite.

What is Hakone Shrine?

It is a Shinto shrine on Lake Ashi in Hakone, with origins traced to 757 and a present lakeside site established in 1667.

Where is Hakone Shrine and how do you get there?

The shrine is in Motohakone, Hakone, Kanagawa. Hakone Tozan bus lines H and K serve the area from Hakone-Yumoto Station.