Feb12027
Lake Akan Ice Festival
A festival on the frozen surface of Lake Akan with on-ice activities by day and fireworks over the ice at night.
32 events start this month
What's on in Japan in February 2027.
Festivals, fireworks, illuminations and seasonal events starting in February 2027, checked against official sources.
Feb42027
Sapporo Snow Festival
Large snow and ice sculptures at the Odori and Susukino sites in Sapporo.
Feb52027
Nagasaki Lantern Festival
Winter lantern festival in central Nagasaki City, begun as a Chinese New Year celebration, with over 15,000 lanterns.
Feb52027
Shiretoko Fantasia
A nightly 20-minute show of laser light, music and straw-fire smoke above the drift ice at Utoro, recreating an aurora that appeared over Shiretoko in 1958.
Feb62027
Abashiri Okhotsk Drift Ice Festival
Abashiri's two-day drift ice festival of citizen-built snow statues, ice sculpture and stage events at the commercial port wharf.
Feb62027
Asahikawa Winter Festival
Winter festival in Asahikawa with a large snow sculpture stage and ice sculptures in the city centre.
Feb62027
Hirosaki Castle Snow Lantern Festival
Around 150 snow lanterns and some 300 candle-lit mini kamakura set around the keep and snow-covered grounds of Hirosaki Castle.
Feb62027
Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival (37th)
Japan's most famous early-blooming cherry, 8,000 deep-pink Kawazu-zakura trees along the river and rape-blossom fields on the Izu coast, drawing around two million visitors.
Feb62027
Kenrokuen Winter Illuminations
Kenrokuen Garden and Kanazawa Castle are lit on eight February nights, with the yukitsuri snow ropes on the pines.
Feb62027
Otaru Snow Light Path
Snow candles and lanterns along the Otaru Canal and the former Temiya railway line.
Feb62027
Oto Matsuri Fire Festival
A 1,400-year-old fire festival in which white-clad men race down Kamikura Shrine's 538 stone steps carrying burning torches.
Feb62027
Rikubetsu Shibare Festival
A two-day festival in the town that records Japan's coldest temperatures, turning extreme cold into the attraction with an overnight endurance sleep-out in ice domes.
Feb72027
Ehime Marathon (64th)
Shikoku's largest marathon (10,000 runners) looping from Matsuyama city centre to the Seto Inland Sea coast with a reputation for warm roadside support.
Feb82027
Yushima Tenjin Plum Festival
Tokyo's classic plum festival, around 300 plum trees at the shrine of the god of learning.
Feb112027
Mito Plum Festival
Plum blossom festival at Kairakuen Garden and Kodokan in Mito, with about 3,000 plum trees of about 100 varieties at Kairakuen.
Feb112027
Monbetsu Drift Ice Festival
Monbetsu's drift ice festival, running since 1963, with large ice sculptures carved from natural ice at the marine park.
Feb122027
Aizu Painted Candle Festival
Around 10,000 hand-painted Aizu candles lit in the snow around Tsuruga Castle and the Oyakuen garden for two nights.
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'.
Feb122027
Yokote Kamakura Festival
About 100 kamakura snow huts are built across central Yokote for a New Year custom with a history of about 450 years.
Feb132027
Jojima Sake Brewery Opening 2027 (33rd)
Kyushu's biggest kurabiraki: the breweries of the Jojima sake district near Kurume open together for one weekend with new-sake tasting, drawing around 100,000 visitors.
Feb132027
Miyajima Oyster Festival 2027
Hiroshima's famous oyster island serves grilled, steamed and hotpot oysters at bargain prices beside the ferry pier at peak season, with 10:00-15:00 stalls both days.
Feb132027
Ouchi-juku Snow Festival
The thatched-roof post town of Ouchi-juku under deep snow, with snow lanterns lining the street, traditional performing arts and fireworks.
Feb132027
Tadami Furusato Snow Festival
A snow festival in one of Japan's heaviest snowfall towns, built around a giant illuminated snow stage sculpture in front of Tadami Station.
Feb172027
Hachinohe Enburi
A 800-year-old rice-planting prayer dance where groups in horse-head headdresses sweep the ground to wake the earth; some 30 troupes parade on the first morning and perform across the city for four days.
Feb192027
Tokamachi Snow Festival
One of Japan's oldest snow festivals, founded in 1950 in one of the country's heaviest snowfall cities, with snow sculptures built by the community across Tokamachi.
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.
Feb202027
Saidaiji Eyo (Okayama Naked Festival)
One of Japan's three great naked festivals: around 10,000 men in loincloths scramble for two sacred shingi sticks thrown into the crowd at 22:00 on a February night at Saidaiji temple.
Feb212027
Kumamoto Castle Marathon 2027
A 13,000-runner city marathon that finishes beneath Kumamoto Castle's keep, held in late February alongside a 30 km race and fun run.
Feb212027
Kyoto Marathon 2027
City marathon through Kyoto's streets, from Nishikyogoku athletic park to a finish in front of Heian-jingu Shrine.
Feb212027
Okinawa Marathon
Central Okinawa's winter marathon with a 10 km option, famous for the section inside Kadena Air Base and for roadside support in Uruma and Okinawa City.
Feb252027
Kitano Tenmangu Baikasai (Plum Blossom Festival)
Kyoto's plum festival on 25 February, with an outdoor tea ceremony served by geiko and maiko.
Feb282027
Osaka Marathon 2027
One of Japan's largest city marathons, finishing inside Osaka Castle Park.