Kangen-sai festival

It is the most extensive ritual at Itsukushima Shrine, a World Heritage Site, and one of Japan's three largest boat rituals. This ritual was initiated by Taira no Kiyomori at the end of the Heian period (794-1185) to pacify the deities of Itsukushima Shrine.
It is said to have been adapted from the "Kangen-Asobi," a ritual in which Heian aristocrats floated boats on ponds and rivers and played gagaku (ancient Japanese court music).

The Kangen-sai festival begins at 4:00 p.m. on June 17 of the lunar calendar, when Hatsuren-sai is held at the main shrine of Itsukushima Shrine. As the sun starts to set, the Goza-sen boat (Kangen-sen boat) carrying the Gosaijin (deity) of Itsukushima Shrine departs for Sessha Jigozenjinja Shrine on the opposite shore. It crosses the Seto Inland Sea at midnight while playing gagaku (ancient Japanese court music). The boat's bow, which consists of three Japanese-style boats, is lit by a bonfire, and four high lanterns and 20 decorative lanterns are lit as the boat moves through the sea at night, creating a mysterious and beautiful scene.

The highlight of the Kangen-sai festival is the "boat spinning," in which the boat returns to Itsukushima Shrine, enters the narrow Masugata (square of the corridor), and plays gagaku while turning the hull three times. This dynamic ritual is the climax of the Kangen-sai festival, and the technique used to turn the boat in this narrow space in time with the gagaku music is astonishing.

On the day of the festival, ferries and other services are expected to be crowded.
Why not arrive at Miyajima early and enjoy a stroll around Miyajima until the festival starts at 4:00 p.m.