Nagoshi no Harae, held on 30 June, is Japan’s midsummer purification ritual. It marks the halfway point of the year and asks the gods to wash away half a year’s accumulated impurities so that the second half can begin with a clean heart. The centrepiece is the chinowa — a large ring woven from chigaya reed — installed at shrine entrances.
The traditional way to pass through the chinowa is three times in a figure-of-eight pattern: left turn, right turn, left turn, then proceed to the main hall. A short waka poem — ‘Minazuki no nagoshi no harae suru hito wa chitose no inochi nobitoiunari’ — is recited inwardly with each pass.
Four shrines are particularly celebrated: Kitano Tenmangu in Kyoto installs one of Japan’s largest rings and runs a street market from 25–30 June; Kamigamo Shrine (a UNESCO World Heritage site) adds the practice of floating paper dolls down its sacred stream; Kanda Myojin in central Tokyo offers convenient access and limited-edition goshuin; and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu in Kamakura pairs the ritual with the peak bloom of its famous lotus ponds.
Bring an umbrella — late June is deep in rainy season — and a goshuin-cho for the seasonal ink stamp designs. In Kyoto, round off the day with a wagashi called minazuki, a triangular rice-cake topped with red beans, traditional for this date.
Final update: 21 May 2026