May22027
Shimonoseki Kaikyo Festival
Golden Week festival of Genpei history on the Kanmon Straits, with the Senteisai rite for Emperor Antoku at Akama Shrine.
20 events start this month
What's on in Japan in May 2027.
Festivals, fireworks, illuminations and seasonal events starting in May 2027, checked against official sources.
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.
May92027
Natsu Grand Sumo Tournament 2027
The May grand sumo tournament: 15 days at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.
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.
May152027
Yokohama Triathlon 2027 (T50 World Championship Tour)
Elite triathlon around Yamashita Park, Yokohama's round of the new T50 World Championship Tour.
May172027
Nikko Toshogu Spring Grand Festival (1,000 Samurai Procession)
Re-enactment of the 1617 transfer of Tokugawa Ieyasu's remains: 1,200 men in samurai armour escort three mikoshi down the cedar-lined avenue, preceded the day before by yabusame horseback archery.
May192027
Keyaki Hiroba Spring Beer Festival 2027
Japan's largest craft beer festival, held every spring and autumn under the zelkova trees at Saitama Shintoshin with 50-60 breweries and 300-400 beers; the autumn 2027 edition should follow in mid-September.
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.
May192027
Sapporo Lilac Festival
Sapporo's start-of-summer festival among 400 blooming lilacs in Odori Park, with a Hokkaido wine garden, outdoor tea ceremonies and live music.
May212027
Shimoda Black Ship Festival
Shimoda's festival of Japan-US friendship, marking Perry's arrival with naval parades, memorial rites and fireworks.
May292027
Kamakura Hasedera Hydrangea Season
About 2,500 hydrangeas of 40 varieties on a hillside path above the sea at Kamakura's Hasedera.
May292027
Soma Nomaoi
A thousand-year-old cavalry festival of armoured horsemen racing and scrambling for sacred flags in the Soma plain.