Oto Town’s 40th Shijimi Festival canceled due to typhoon; river activities also called off

River activities and local entertainment were planned

The Oto Town Chamber of Commerce announced on October 22 that this year’s Shijimi Festival had been canceled. The 40th festival was scheduled for October 25. This will be disappointing news for those who were looking forward to attending, but as the cancellation has been confirmed, please do not travel to the venue on the scheduled date.

The Shijimi Festival has been held as an annual event on the Hikosan River since 1987 in Oto Town, an area known as a habitat for shijimi clams. The event information also notes the clams’ water-purifying ability, saying, “One shijimi clam purifies a cup of water a day.” The festival has a history of drawing attention to the riverside environment and the clams that live there.

One of the event’s advertised highlights was the chance to wade into the river and gather shijimi clams. Visitors were told that clam gathering was permitted in the river only on the day of the festival. The plan was to give people a chance to experience the Hikosan River and learn about shijimi, rather than simply watch from the riverbank. This activity, which was also planned for the 40th festival, will not take place in 2026.

The planned participatory activities included a ramune soda drinking contest, a long-rope skipping contest and a prize draw. These contests and the draw were intended to offer ways to take part beyond clam gathering, but they have also been canceled. Please do not mistake the advertised program for activities that will go ahead on the day.

Performances by local elementary and junior high school students featuring Iman Taiko and wind music were also listed in the event information. Local children were due to perform, but that opportunity will not take place this year. It is important to distinguish between activities advertised as part of the festival program and those that will actually be held.

Distinguish this from the pre-cancellation rain plan

Food and local products on offer were to include free shijimi soup and shijimi clams for sale. The item advertised as free was the shijimi soup. The event activities described as suitable for children and adults alike—including the fire engine and police car experience booths, which were scheduled to run in the morning only—have all been canceled.

Before the cancellation, the event information listed opening hours of 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and said the festival would go ahead in light rain. It also noted that, depending on rainfall, the event might be held from 11:00 a.m. at Michi-no-Eki Oto Sakura Kaido, with changes to the program. This information was published before the cancellation was announced. The event will not be relocated to the roadside station, so please do not rely on the rain-related venue change information when making plans; do not visit on October 25.