Sep172026
Nada no Sakagura Tanbou 2026 (Nada sake-brewery puzzle trail)
Autumn-winter campaign across Japan's largest sake-producing district, Nada Gogo, linking 14 brewery museums and shops in four walking courses during the new-sake season.
51 events
What's on in Kansai.
Events across the Kansai region, checked against official sources.
Oct172026
Nabana no Sato Illumination
One of Japan's largest illumination events, with a tunnel of light and a themed LED landscape at a flower park in Nagashima Resort.
Oct232026
Kobe Illuminage
Kobe Illuminage, in its 17th year, lights the Fruit and Flower Park Osawa on the theme 'Starlight Dream'.
Oct312026
Festa Luce in Wakayama Marina City
Festa Luce recreates a European Christmas town inside Porto Europa at Wakayama Marina City, in its 10th anniversary year.
Oct312026
Hirakata Park Hikari no Yuenchi: Flowering Illumination
Hirakata Park turns into a 'park of light' on winter weekends, with 17 illuminated areas and a new 17 metre floral castle.
Nov32026
Hikone Castle Festival Parade
A period-costume parade of nearly 1,000 people through the castle town of Hikone, held every 3 November.
Nov32026
Midosuji Illumination 2026
Osaka's Midosuji boulevard lights about 4 kilometres of ginkgo trees as a core programme of the Festival of the Lights in Osaka.
Nov72026
Art Collaboration Kyoto 2026
Japan's leading collaborative contemporary art fair, pairing Japanese galleries with international partners (Hauser & Wirth, Jeffrey Deitch and others in 2026) inside Otani Sachio's brutalist conference hall, backed by Kyoto Prefecture.
Nov82026
Arashiyama Momiji Matsuri
Heian-style boats perform court music and dance on the Oi River under the autumn maples of Arashiyama.
Nov112026
Eikando Autumn Exhibition and Maple Illumination
Kyoto's most famous maple temple: about 3,000 maples, a treasure exhibition and night illumination.
Nov142026
Fushimi Sake Festival in Otesuji 2026 (10th)
Fifteen Fushimi breweries (Gekkeikan, Kizakura, Tamanohikari etc.) pour their sake along the covered Otesuji arcade in one of Japan's great sake towns.
Nov142026
Minoo Maple Festival (Meiji no Mori Minoh Quasi-National Park)
Osaka's maple festival: the 2.7 km path to Minoo Falls lit nightly, with music points along the river.
Nov152026
Kobe Marathon 2026
Marathon for about 20,000 runners from central Kobe along the coast towards Akashi and back.
Nov202026
Himeji Otemae-dori and Himeji Castle Illumination 'Atarayo'
Himeji lights 2.5 kilometres of Otemae-dori and the castle with 510,000 full-colour LEDs in 'Atarayo', directed by Motoko Ishii.
Nov202026
Osaka Castle Illuminage
Osaka Castle's Nishinomaru Garden hosts an Illuminage of Sengoku-era light art themed on the unification of Japan.
Nov212026
Keyaki Light Parade by FeStA LuCe
Wakayama's Keyaki Odori lights 3.5 kilometres and about 500 street trees with over 1,500,000 LEDs for 100 days.
Dec112026
OSAKA Hikari no Renaissance 2026
Nakanoshima's OSAKA Hikari no Renaissance fills the City Hall facade and park with light art for 15 days over Christmas.
Dec122026
Takarazuka Revue: Tenku no Artemis and Belle Epoque (Moon Troupe)
The Moon Troupe's musical Tenku no Artemis and revue Belle Epoque run at Takarazuka Grand Theatre from 12 December 2026 to 24 January 2027.
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.
Jan292027
Kobe Luminarie
Italian-designed light sculptures fill central Kobe for ten nights in memory of the 1995 earthquake.
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.
Feb212027
Kyoto Marathon 2027
City marathon through Kyoto's streets, from Nishikyogoku athletic park to a finish in front of Heian-jingu Shrine.
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.
Mar12027
Todai-ji Omizutori (Shunie)
Two weeks of repentance rites at Todai-ji's Nigatsu-do, famous for giant torches swung from the hall's balcony each night.
Mar12027
Todaiji Shuni-e (Omizutori / Otaimatsu torch ceremonies)
The 1,270-year-old Shuni-e penance rite whose nightly otaimatsu, giant pine torches swung from the Nigatsudo balcony, shower sparks over the crowd.
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.
Mar142027
Haru Grand Sumo Tournament 2027
The March grand sumo tournament: 15 days at EDION Arena Osaka.
Mar192027
99th National High School Baseball Invitational Tournament (Spring Koshien / Senbatsu)
The spring invitational of 32 top high school teams at the sacred Koshien ground, opening the Japanese baseball year with brass bands and cheering squads.
Mar262027
Mount Yoshino Cherry Blossom Season
Some 30,000 cherry trees climb Mount Yoshino in four waves, Japan's most famous blossom mountain.
Apr92027
Formula 1 Lenovo Japanese Grand Prix 2027
Round four of the 2027 Formula 1 season at Suzuka Circuit, run as a sprint weekend with the grand prix on Sunday 11 April.
Apr102027
KYOTOGRAPHIE International Photography Festival 2027
Kyoto's spring photography festival since 2013, staging international exhibitions in historic buildings normally closed to the public, with the KG+ open-call programme spread over 100+ small venues.
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.
May152027
Aoi Matsuri
Imperial procession in Heian-period court dress from the Kyoto Imperial Palace to the Kamo shrines, held on 15 May.
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.
Jul142027
Nachi Fire Festival (Nachi no Ogi Matsuri)
One of Japan's three great fire festivals: twelve 50kg torches purify the path of fan-shaped portable shrines to Nachi Falls.
Jul172027
Ise Jingu Dedicated National Fireworks Competition
One of Japan's three great fireworks competitions, where pyrotechnicians selected from across the country dedicate competitive displays over the Miya River at Ise.
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.
Aug52027
109th National High School Baseball Championship (Summer Koshien)
The summer national championship for 49 prefectural champions, Japan's most emotional sporting tradition, played in August heat with morning and evening sessions.
Aug82027
Lake Biwa Great Fireworks Festival
Around 10,000 fireworks launched over Lake Biwa from barges off Otsu Port, Kansai's biggest summer display.
Aug102027
Shirahama Fireworks Festival
The main Shirahama summer fireworks display of about 3,500 shells over Shirarahama Beach, held every 10 August.
Aug132027
Summer Sonic Osaka
Osaka edition of Summer Sonic, held at the Expo '70 Commemorative Park in Suita, Osaka.
Aug162027
Gozan no Okuribi
Five giant bonfires in the shape of characters and symbols are lit on the mountains around Kyoto on the night of 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.
Aug172027
Kumano Grand Fireworks Festival
Some 10,000 shells over Shichirimihama Beach, with shells detonated on the sea surface and echoing off the Onigajo cliffs.
Sep182027
Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri
Teams haul four-tonne wooden danjiri floats at speed through Kishiwada's streets, swinging them around corners.
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.