Sunameri Festival 2026

Dates & time: September 26, 2026 (Sat) - September 27, 2026 (Sun) Sep 26: 10:00–17:00 (quayside festival) / Sep 27: meet 9:30, depart 10:00, disperse 16:30 (observation voyage)
Price & booking: Sep 26: free admission (some programs charge; the talk is donation-based from 500 yen for adults, free for high-school age and under; sail drill, ship tours and posters are free) / Sep 27 voyage: 11,000 yen adults, 5,500 yen high-school age and under (lunch included) The talk (advance booking prioritised, 30 seats) and the sail drill (advance booking required, 60 per session, elementary-school age and up) share one application form. Ship tours, the poster exhibition and workshops need no booking. The porpoise-watching voyage on Sunday Sep 27 (11,000 yen adults / 5,500 yen high-school age and under, lunch included, deadline Sep 21) is a separate paid program booked through ZERI Japan.
Venue & access: Takahama Quay, Port of Kobe / sail training ship BLUE OCEAN Miraie (Sep 27 departs from Naka-tottei Kamomeria) About a 10-minute walk from JR Kobe Station, or about 15 minutes from Hanshin Nishi-Motomachi Station. By car, use the paid parking lots around Kobe Harborland.

There are 3 car parks within a 12-minute walk of Takahama Quay, Port of Kobe / sail training ship BLUE OCEAN Miraie (Sep 27 departs from Naka-tottei Kamomeria), and 1 public restrooms within 8 minutes. The map shows each with its walking time.

Facility data comes from OpenStreetMap. It does not include opening hours, fees or availability.

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Why You Should Visit

A two-day festival built around the finless porpoise (sunameri), a small dolphin that lives in coastal waters close to Japanese cities. Day one (Sep 26) takes place on and around the sail training ship BLUE OCEAN Miraie, moored at Takahama Quay in the Port of Kobe, with free admission: a hands-on sail drill where participants set the huge sails in the morning and furl them in the evening (advance booking, 60 per session, elementary-school age and up), a talk by a cetacean researcher from Mie University, ship tours, research posters, workshops and stalls on the quay, and a booth by Felissimo's ship club. Day two (Sep 27) is a paid, pre-booked porpoise-watching voyage on the same ship through the Akashi Strait into Harima Nada. This is the second edition after the March 2026 event at Naka-tottei, and it suits families who want to get close to the sea and a real tall ship.

Programs

Timetable & Map

NOTE

Talk

Speaker: Ikuko Kanda of the Mie University Cetacean Research Center, on porpoise observation and stranding surveys in Ise Bay
Free for ICERC bottlenose-dolphin members

Felissimo ship club booth

Lighthouse-illustrated shirts, sailing shirts and semaphore T-shirts for sale, tasting and sales of the Kitamaebune wine "137"
Kobe Audrey, the official mascot of Kobe Port Tower, appears at the booth (photos welcome, goods on sale)
Cash, QR-code payment and credit cards accepted

Organiser and partners

Organiser: ICERC Japan
Cooperation: ZERI Japan (BLUE OCEAN Miraie), Felissimo, Kobe Suma Sea World, Taki Chemical Marine Culture Center
Grant: Japan Fund for Global Environment

Harborland Kobe Port Waterfront Sea Cruise Family Free Cheap Events Festivals

出典: ICERC Japan公式サイト

Kobe · Gluten-free

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FAQ

Is admission free? Do I need to book?

Admission is free, and the ship tours, poster exhibition, workshops and stalls on the quay need no booking. Only the sail drill and the talk require advance application.

Can children take part in the sail drill?

It is open to elementary-school age and up. There are two sessions, setting sail (10:00-11:00) and furling (16:00-17:00), each limited to 60 people by advance application. It is free and comes with a small souvenir.

Can I go out to sea on the ship?

On September 26 the ship stays moored at the quay for tours and hands-on programs. Going out to sea is the porpoise-watching voyage on the 27th, which is paid, requires advance booking (deadline September 21) and departs from Naka-tottei Kamomeria.

What happens if it rains?

The organiser has not announced a rain policy. The talk and poster exhibition are held inside the ship, while the workshops and stalls are on the open quay. Check the ICERC Japan website or social media on the day.

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Sunameri Festival 2026

Why You Should Visit

Programs

NOTE

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FAQ

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