Nov22026
Kagoshima Ohara Matsuri
Mass dance festival in Tenmonkan, Kagoshima City, with more than 20,000 dancers performing to the Ohara-bushi folk song.
91 events
Festivals in Japan.
Every festivals event on the calendar, checked against official sources.
Nov22026
Karatsu Kunchi
Autumn festival of Karatsu Shrine in which 14 hikiyama floats are pulled through Karatsu City.
Nov22026
Ohara Matsuri (75th)
Southern Kyushu's largest festival: some 20,000 dancers in yukata perform the Ohara-bushi and Hanya-bushi along the tram tracks of Tenmonkan.
Nov32026
Hikone Castle Festival Parade
A period-costume parade of nearly 1,000 people through the castle town of Hikone, held every 3 November.
Nov72026
Ishigaki Matsuri
The 62nd Ishigaki Island Festival, Ishigaki's largest civic festival, held at Shin'ei Park.
Nov82026
Arashiyama Momiji Matsuri
Heian-style boats perform court music and dance on the Oi River under the autumn maples of Arashiyama.
Nov152026
Hagi Jidai Matsuri
Autumn festival recreating the Hagi Daimyo Procession, with costumed warriors parading through the castle town to Kanaya Shrine.
Nov152026
Sakamoto Ryoma Festival
Kochi celebrates Sakamoto Ryoma's birthday at Katsurahama on the Sunday closest to 15 November.
Dec22026
Chichibu Night Festival
Annual festival of Chichibu Shrine with six decorated floats paraded through central Chichibu and winter fireworks on the main day.
Jan12027
Takasaki Daruma Market
New Year market in front of Takasaki Station selling the city's famous red daruma wishing dolls (Takasaki makes 80% of Japan's daruma), with food stalls, stage events and a daruma burning ceremony.
Jan142027
Dontosai Festival (Osaki Hachimangu)
New Year decorations are burned in a giant sacred bonfire while groups of 'hadaka-mairi' pilgrims in loincloths walk silently through the winter night to the shrine; unique to Miyagi.
Jan152027
Nozawa Onsen Dosojin Fire Festival
Villagers attack a seven-metre wooden shrine with burning torches in one of Japan's three great fire festivals.
Jan232027
Wakakusa Yamayaki
The dry grass of Mt Wakakusa above Nara Park is burned in a single line of fire, preceded by fireworks.
Jan232027
Wakakusa Yamayaki (Mount Wakakusa burning)
The whole 33 ha grass hillside above Nara Park is set alight after 600 fireworks, a tradition said to settle a boundary dispute between Todaiji and Kofukuji. Nara's signature winter night.
Feb52027
Nagasaki Lantern Festival
Winter lantern festival in central Nagasaki City, begun as a Chinese New Year celebration, with over 15,000 lanterns.
Feb122027
Namahage Sedo Festival
Namahage demons descend by torchlight from the snowy mountain to Shinzan Shrine for sacred dances and drumming, one of the Michinoku 'five great snow festivals'.
Feb202027
Katsuyama Sagicho Festival
A 300-year-old late-winter fire festival of tower stages, comic drumming and a mass bonfire on the Kuzuryu River.
Mar132027
Omihachiman Sagicho Matsuri
Nationally designated folk festival from Oda Nobunaga's Azuchi: huge sagicho torches decorated with sculptures made of dried foods are paraded, crashed together in 'kenka' bouts and burned at 20:00 on the second day.
Mar192027
Dogo Onsen Festival
Spring festival at Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama heralding the arrival of spring and giving thanks for the hot spring.
Apr12027
Beppu Hatto Onsen Festival
Beppu's spring festival of thanks to the hot springs, with the Ogiyama fire burning and the Yu-bukkake water parade.
Apr32027
Inuyama Matsuri
Thirteen three-tiered floats with mechanical puppets parade the castle town under the cherry blossom.
Apr112027
Kamakura Festival
Kamakura's spring festival at the great Hachimangu shrine, opening with the Shizuka dance and closing with galloping yabusame archers on the shrine approach.
Apr132027
Nagahama Hikiyama Matsuri (children's kabuki floats)
UNESCO-listed festival where boys aged 5-12 perform kabuki on 400-year-old gilded floats; traced to Hideyoshi's gift celebrating the birth of his son. Coincides with Nagahama's cherry blossom.
Apr142027
Takayama Spring Festival (Sanno Matsuri)
Twelve ornate yatai floats, some with mechanical puppets, parade Takayama's old town for the Hie Shrine festival.
Apr172027
Hana Haru Festa
Tokushima's spring festival of Awa Odori performances, local food and crafts at Aibahama Park.
May22027
Shimonoseki Kaikyo Festival
Golden Week festival of Genpei history on the Kanmon Straits, with the Senteisai rite for Emperor Antoku at Akama Shrine.
May32027
Hakata Dontaku Port Festival
Golden Week port festival in Fukuoka City, with parades along Meiji-dori and performances on stages across the city.
May32027
Hamamatsu Matsuri
Giant kites battle over the Nakatajima dunes by day and palace floats parade the city centre by night.
May32027
Hiroshima Flower Festival
Hiroshima's largest street festival, with a flower parade, stages and booths along Peace Boulevard and in Peace Memorial Park.
May32027
Marugame Castle Festival
Marugame City's largest festival, held every 3 and 4 May around its original castle keep and great stone walls.
May32027
Naha Haari
Traditional dragon boat races held over three days of Golden Week at Naha New Port Wharf.
May32027
Naha Hari (53rd) dragon-boat festival
Okinawa's largest harii dragon-boat festival: 130+ teams race traditional sabani-style boats in Naha harbour over Golden Week, with ceremonial Ugan Bari races on the final day.
May132027
Kanda Matsuri (main festival year)
One of Japan's three great festivals, held in full only in odd-numbered years: a 30 km day-long procession of priests on horseback, floats and mikoshi through the business districts of central Tokyo, followed by 100 neighbourhood mikoshi entering the shrine.
May142027
Sanja Matsuri
Tokyo's wildest festival: around 100 neighbourhood mikoshi and the three great shrine mikoshi are carried through Asakusa by tens of thousands of bearers, drawing nearly two million spectators over three days.
May152027
Aoi Matsuri
Imperial procession in Heian-period court dress from the Kyoto Imperial Palace to the Kamo shrines, held on 15 May.
May152027
Sendai Aoba Festival
Sendai's spring festival honouring Date Masamune, with sparrow dancing on the Saturday and a samurai procession and yamaboko floats on the Sunday.
May192027
Mikuni Festival
One of the Hokuriku region's three great festivals, with 6.5-metre warrior floats paraded through the port town of Mikuni.
May212027
Shimoda Black Ship Festival
Shimoda's festival of Japan-US friendship, marking Perry's arrival with naval parades, memorial rites and fireworks.
May292027
Soma Nomaoi
A thousand-year-old cavalry festival of armoured horsemen racing and scrambling for sacred flags in the Soma plain.
Jun42027
Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Matsuri
Kanazawa's biggest festival, commemorating Lord Maeda Toshiie's entry into the castle with a samurai parade.
Jun92027
Yosakoi Soran Festival
Team dance festival in Sapporo combining yosakoi dancing with the Soran Bushi folk song.
Jun122027
Chagu Chagu Umakko
About 60 farm horses in brilliant dress and hundreds of bells parade 14km from Takizawa to Morioka.
Jul12027
Gion Matsuri
Kyoto's month-long Yasaka Shrine festival, famous for its two Yamaboko float processions on 17 and 24 July.
Jul12027
Gion Matsuri (Yamaboko Junko processions)
Japan's most famous festival, a month-long series of Yasaka Shrine rites whose highlights are the two float processions of 34 yamaboko on 17 and 24 July.
Jul12027
Hakata Gion Yamakasa
Summer festival centred on Kushida Shrine, in which seven districts race one-ton kakiyama floats through Hakata.
Jul22027
Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival
One of Kanto's three great Tanabata festivals, with about 500 bamboo decorations up to 10 m tall, celebrity-themed displays and a parade through the station-front arcades over three days.
Jul102027
Gujo Odori
Thirty-plus nights of participatory Bon dancing in the streets of Gujo Hachiman, with four all-night sessions at Obon.
Jul242027
Kurashiki Tenryo Summer Festival
Kurashiki's biggest festival, with some 3,500 dancers in the evening Daikan Bayashi-Odori along Chuo Street.
Jul242027
Tanabe Festival
Tanabe's Gion festival of Kasahoko floats, held every 24 and 25 July around Tokei Shrine.
Jul242027
Tenjin Matsuri
Osaka's great summer festival at Osaka Tenmangu Shrine, with a river procession and fireworks on the evening of 25 July.
Jul302027
Fukui Phoenix Festival
Fukui City's main summer festival, founded in 1954 to celebrate the city's recovery from war, earthquake and flood.
Jul312027
Hita Gion Festival
Hita's 300-year-old Gion festival of towering Yamahoko floats, part of the UNESCO-listed Yama, Hoko, Yatai float festivals.
Jul312027
Tsuyama Gongo Festival
A summer festival for the kappa water sprite Gongo, with dances on Yakko-dori and one of Okayama's largest fireworks displays.
Aug12027
Hirosaki Neputa Matsuri
Summer festival in Hirosaki with about 80 fan-shaped illuminated neputa floats paraded through the castle town.
Aug12027
Kusatsu Onsen Thanksgiving Festival
Three days of thanks to the hot springs at Kusatsu's Yubatake, with a ritual drawing of the spring water.
Aug12027
Morioka Sansa Odori
Dance parade in Morioka with large groups of dancers, flute players and taiko drummers on Chuo-dori.
Aug22027
Aomori Nebuta Matsuri
Summer festival in Aomori City with large illuminated nebuta floats paraded through the streets with haneto dancers.
Aug32027
Akita Kanto Matsuri
Summer festival in Akita City where performers balance tall bamboo poles hung with paper lanterns on their palms, foreheads, shoulders and hips.
Aug32027
Numata Festival
Numata's great summer float festival, held over three days in early August in the castle town centre.
Aug52027
Yamagata Hanagasa Matsuri
Evening dance parade in Yamagata City with dancers holding hats decorated with safflowers.
Aug62027
Fukushima Waraji Festival
Fukushima's summer festival, where Japan's largest straw sandal, 12 metres long and weighing two tons, is paraded and danced through the city centre.
Aug62027
Oita Tanabata Festival
One of Oita's largest festivals, with the Funai Pacchin illuminated float parade through the city centre.
Aug62027
Sendai Tanabata Matsuri
Tanabata festival in central Sendai with large handmade paper and bamboo decorations hung in the shopping arcades.
Aug62027
Yamaguchi Tanabata Lantern Festival
Some 100,000 red paper lanterns strung on bamboo form glowing tunnels through Yamaguchi's arcades, a 600-year-old Obon tradition from the Ouchi clan era; one of Japan's three great fire festivals.
Aug72027
Yonago Gaina Festival
Yonago's main summer festival of towering lantern poles, taiko and fireworks over Lake Nakaumi.
Aug92027
Kochi Yosakoi Festival
Kochi's energetic summer dance festival, with teams dancing through the city holding naruko wooden clappers.
Aug92027
Yosakoi Matsuri (74th)
Birthplace festival of yosakoi: ~18,000 dancers in 200 teams with naruko clappers parade through Kochi behind sound trucks in choreographed, costume-heavy routines.
Aug122027
Awa Odori
Japan's most famous Bon dance festival, filling central Tokushima with dancing ren troupes every August.
Aug122027
Sanuki Takamatsu Festival
One of Shikoku's four major festivals, a three day mid-August festival in Takamatsu with a fireworks display over Takamatsu Port.
Aug122027
Sanuki Takamatsu Festival and Fireworks (Don-Don Takamatsu)
Takamatsu's three-day Obon festival: a 6,000-shell fireworks show over the port on 13 August and a mass street dance down Chuo-dori on the final night.
Aug132027
Tottori Shan-Shan Matsuri
Tottori's largest festival, centred on the Issei Kasa Odori mass umbrella dance by about 4,000 dancers with bell-hung paper umbrellas.
Aug152027
Yamaga Toro Lantern Festival
A thousand women dance with gold paper lanterns on their heads through Yamaga on 15 and 16 August.
Aug162027
Kyoto Gozan Okuribi (Daimonji bonfires)
Five giant characters and shapes are burned on the hills at five-minute intervals from 20:00 to send off the ancestral spirits at the end of Obon, the quiet, solemn close of Kyoto's summer.
Aug222027
Okayama Momotaro Festival (Uraja)
Okayama's great summer dance festival, where teams in demon Ura make-up perform the Uraja dance across the city.
Sep12027
Owara Kaze no Bon
Dancers in straw hats move through Yatsuo's lantern-lit streets to kokyu and shamisen in Toyama's elegant Bon dance.
Sep32027
Okinawa Zento Eisa Matsuri
Okinawa's largest Eisa festival, bringing selected youth association teams from across the island to Okinawa City.
Sep102027
Hanamaki Festival
A 430-year-old autumn festival with gas-lit Furyu floats and a world-record parade of over 100 portable shrines.
Sep182027
Aizu Festival
Aizu's biggest festival, with a 500-strong procession of Aizu domain lords and samurai from Tsurugajo Castle.
Sep182027
Ikaho Festival
Three-day autumn festival in the Ikaho Onsen hot spring town, centred on the Ikaho Shrine grand festival on 19 September.
Sep182027
Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri
Teams haul four-tonne wooden danjiri floats at speed through Kishiwada's streets, swinging them around corners.
Sep192027
Fujisaki Hachimangu Shrine Autumn Festival
Autumn grand festival of Fujisaki Hachimangu Shrine in Kumamoto City, centred on a Shinko procession with decorated horses.
Oct72027
Nagasaki Kunchi
Autumn festival of Suwa Shrine in Nagasaki City, with dance performances by rotating districts, including dragon dances.
Oct82027
Sawara Grand Festival, Autumn (Suwa Shrine)
Fourteen huge floats topped with 4-metre figures are pulled through the canal-side merchant town of Sawara to Sawara-bayashi music, a 300-year-old UNESCO-listed festival held in July and October.
Oct92027
Naha Great Tug-of-War Festival
Three-day festival centred on the giant rope tug-of-war on Route 58, preceded by the Hatagashira flag procession on Kokusai-dori.
Oct92027
Takayama Autumn Festival (Hachiman Matsuri)
Eleven festival floats and a portable shrine parade the northern old town for Sakurayama Hachimangu's harvest festival.
Oct162027
Kawagoe Matsuri
Festival in Kawagoe's warehouse district with ornate floats and hikkawase musical face-offs between floats.
Oct162027
Nagoya Matsuri
Nagoya's main festival, built around a parade of the three unifiers, Nobunaga, Hideyoshi and Ieyasu.
Oct162027
Niihama Taiko Festival
Ehime's great autumn harvest festival, where teams of about 150 men carry ornate taiko drum floats through Niihama.
Oct222027
Jidai Matsuri
A procession of 2,000 Kyoto citizens in costumes from every era of the city's history, held on 22 October.
Oct222027
Jidai Matsuri (Festival of the Ages)
A 2,000-person, 2 km procession in meticulously researched costumes from the Meiji era back to the Heian court, departing the Imperial Palace at noon, founded in 1895 for Heian Shrine.
Oct302027
Miyazaki Jingu Grand Festival (Jimmu-sama)
Miyazaki's largest festival, a grand procession re-enacting Emperor Jimmu's eastern expedition from Miyazaki Shrine.