Dubbed "Wakamiya-san," Hachiman Wakamiya Shrine is extremely familiar to locals in the Ryotsu Minato area. The annual grand festival is held on the 5th of May every year. Along Wakamiya Street, fisherman's good-haul banners (used to indicate a good catch) are hoisted and flutter, creating a colorful backdrop for this distinctly heated, port-town festival. Ondeko (demon drumming), shishi (lion dance) and a portable shrine, bounced and shaken by its bearers, parade around the street. A Sagariha musical performance troup and a float with musicians on it also travel around the neighbourhood. In the precinct of the shrine where many people await, the portable shrine makes its slow and steady return. The highlight is the heatedly bounced portable shrine in the parade.
