🏮 Aioi Peron Sai

相生ペーロン祭

Aioi, Hyogo (相生湾) · Every year on 25 May

Mikoshi

253 days to go
Rooms around Aioi, Hyogo fill up while the festival is on.

The Aioi Peron Festival is held in Aioi City, Hyogo Prefecture, on the last Sunday of May each year, organized by the Aioi Peron Festival Sponsorship Association. In 2026, the eve-of-festival event will be held on Saturday, May 30, and the main festival on Sunday, May 31, with events taking place both on the water and on land around Aioi Bay. Peron boat racing was introduced in 1922 (Taisho 11) by employees of the Harima Shipyard who came from Nagasaki Prefecture. Peron, said to originate in small-boat racing called hakuryu (pairon) in the 3rd century BCE and to have been brought to Japan in 1655, marked its 100th anniversary in Aioi in 2022. At the eve-of-festival fireworks display over the sea, about 5,000 shells are launched over Aioi Bay. At the main festival, following the sea procession of the Tenpaku mikoshi (portable shrine), the preliminary and final rounds of the peron boat races are held in front of Port Park. A land parade is also held on the city's main street, enlivened by brass band and dance performances by local students and a bazaar in the Fureai Plaza.

Getting there

About 10 minutes on foot from JR Aioi Station. On Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31, free parking is available at multiple locations in Aioi City (some paid). A free shuttle bus also runs.