39th Kanmon Straits Fireworks Display

Summary

The Kanmon Strait Fireworks Festival is Japan's only display launched across both a strait and a prefectural border, with fireworks rising at the same time from Moji in Fukuoka and Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi. The 39th edition on 13 August 2026 sends up about 18,000 shells in thirty minutes from 20:00. The two banks each have their own style — Moji favours rapid barrages of large shells and music-synced fireworks, while Shimonoseki answers with extra-large shells and underwater fireworks. As in recent years there are no free viewing areas in 2026: only holders of the support ticket may enter the viewing zones, reached on foot from JR Mojiko (5 min) or JR Shimonoseki (20 min).

Overview

Few fireworks festivals anywhere have a setting like this one. The Kanmon Strait Fireworks Festival, held for the 39th time in 2026, straddles the Kanmon Strait and the border between Fukuoka and Yamaguchi prefectures — the only festival in Japan launched from two banks of a strait at once, with a combined crowd of about 1.05 million on both sides in a typical year. On 13 August the show runs from 20:00 to 20:30, and the two banks deliberately differ: Moji fires rapid sequences of large shells alongside music-synced pieces, while Shimonoseki is known for extra-large shells and fireworks that bloom on the water itself. A format note for 2026, carried over from last year: there are no free viewing areas. Entry to the viewing zones requires a support ticket, whose proceeds fund the maintenance and beautification of the Mojiko waterfront — check the official website for ticket types and prices and buy early. Arrive two to three hours before the start, and expect the area around the stations to be busy after the finale. Leave the car behind, as there is no parking: JR Mojiko Station is a five-minute walk on the Moji side, and JR Shimonoseki Station a twenty-minute walk on the other. Food stalls trade around the venue, so carry cash in small notes.

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