Festivals, exhibitions, pop-ups, and seasonal happenings across all nine regions.
By month: October 2026, November 2026, December 2026, January 2027
About 150,000 cosmos and 3,600 kochia bushes cover a hill in the park at Suita in Osaka each October, with pink muhly grass and red buckwheat behind them.
3–30 Oct 2026Suita · OsakaVideo game music from the Monster Hunter series receives live orchestral treatment by the Kyushu Symphony Orchestra in this touring concert event.
31 Oct 2026FukuokaThis festival transforms rice straw into massive sculptures created through collaboration between university students and local residents in Niigata.
29 Aug – 31 Oct 2026NiigataOsaka Art Fireworks is a 50-minute display set to music at Marble Beach, with views over Osaka Bay, one of Japan's Top 100 Sunsets spots.
31 Oct 2026Izumisano · OsakaA town in Fukushima that calls itself the UFO village closes its shopping street for an alien costume parade, with prizes for the most convincing.
31 Oct 2026FukushimaMiyazaki's largest festival honors Emperor Jimmu with a grand autumn procession of portable shrines and floats reenacting the legendary emperor's journey.
31 Oct – 1 Nov 2026MiyazakiThe largest festival of Ube in Yamaguchi, built on the Nanban Ondo, a dance that came out of the coal mines, with parades and a float drawn at the end.
1 Nov 2026Ube · YamaguchiA large Halloween cosplay festival centered on Ikebukuro's East Exit features stage performances, parades, and gathering spaces for participants of all ages.
30 Oct – 1 Nov 2026TokyoSmall bonsai up to about 20 cm tall, shown in display seats by members of the Japan Shohin-Bonsai Association, with dealers selling trees, pots and tools.
30 Oct – 1 Nov 2026TokyoThis virtual reality experience simulates a journey to Mars with free walking exploration, rover travel, and views of the planet's distinctive blue sunset.
4 Jul – 1 Nov 2026Shima · MieMore than 300 original artworks and sketches from both of Arakawa Hiromu's major series, at Daimaru Sapporo from 14 October to 1 November.
14 Oct – 1 Nov 2026Sapporo · HokkaidoTokyo Gakki Expo, Japan's largest musical instrument exhibition, features over 200 brands with live performances, product demonstrations, and workshops.
31 Oct – 1 Nov 2026TokyoA beach in Ibaraki is lit for three evenings, with the waves drawn in light, mirror tape turning the sea wind visible, and twenty food vans on the sand.
30 Oct – 1 Nov 2026Oarai · IbarakiFootraces run in inflatable T-rex costumes, held in parks, on beaches and at local festivals across Japan since 2022, with adult and juvenile classes.
31 Oct – 1 Nov 2026OsakaFeaturing an Intangible Folk Cultural Property procession, this November festival unites a community through ceremony, dance, and spiritual communion.
3 Nov 2026Kami · KochiAsia's largest hot-air balloon event, where around 100 balloons rise over the Kase River each autumn in a five-day competition and festival.
30 Oct – 3 Nov 2026SagaThe last year of the ramen festival held in Komazawa Olympic Park since 2009, with twelve shops from around the country serving one bowl a ticket.
30 Oct – 3 Nov 2026TokyoA month of Halloween shows, costume contests and themed food at KAWAII MONSTER LAND in Harajuku, bringing back the KAWAII MONSTER CAFE Halloween of 2015.
1 Oct – 3 Nov 2026Tokyo
