Yoshida Fire Festival 吉田の火祭り

Perhaps one thing the Japanese summer doesn't need is more heat, but for two days in late August, every home and storefront in Fujiyoshida is adorned with a burning torch, giving the illusion that a sea of fire is coursing through this otherwise peaceful area.

Fujiyoshida's Fujisan Station is accessible by private train on the Fujikyuko Line from JR Otsuki Station.

By car, it's just 10 minutes from the Chuo Expressway Lake Kawaguchi interchange.

Beginning at the Fujiyoshida Sengen Shrine on August 26 and lasting two days, this festival marks the end of the climbing season on Mt. Fuji . Traditionally, this shrine (formally known as Kitaguchi Hongu Fuji Sengen) was the starting point for climbers hoping to conquer Mt. Fuji .

While most now take the bus to the fifth station and forego visiting this shrine altogether, it makes perfect sense that the spiritual gateway onto the sacred mountain celebrates in such elaborate fashion when the climbing season draws to an end.

During the festivities, two portable shrines known as mikoshi are carried from Fujiyoshida Sengen Shrine throughout the town.

Crowds follow the mikoshi as they each take separate routes, weaving through different neighborhoods before they arrive and are enshrined at their sacred resting place. On the completion of their journey, huge three-meter high torches are lit throughout the town in celebration.

The festival and all of its oddities have remained unchanged for centuries, and every year honoring Mt. Fuji remains its unwavering focus.

If you want to experience ancient Japanese culture that has stayed true to its roots, the Yoshida Fire Festival offers an insight into Japan's rich past.